Moore Blatch joins hunt for South West merger

Moore Blatch has joined the consolidation trail in the South West and is looking for a merger partner.

It is understood that the ;firm ;has ;made tentative approaches to four West Country firms, including ;Bath-based Thring Townsend Lee & ­Pembertons and Plymouth-­headquartered Foot Anstey.

Moore Blatch managing partner David Thompson said the firm had both received ;and ;made enquiries about merger opportunities, but he added that ;“there’s ;nothing ­ongoing at the moment”.

The news comes as a number of South West firms look to restructure in an effort to bolster profitability.

In June Bond Pearce announced the closure of its Exeter base and the transfer of 60 staff to offices in ­Plymouth and Bristol (The Lawyer, 16 June).

Also, Bevan Brittan is about to undergo a dramatic management overhaul in a bid to reignite its ­profitability (see back page).