Haleys Business Advisers working with concert promoter Cuffe and Taylor

There were celebrations at the offices of Haleys Business Advisers when client, live concert promoter Cuffe and Taylor, was bought out by entertainment giant Live Nation.

It was the culmination of many months work and Peter Taylor was quick to praise Haleys for their involvement in helping the deal go through smoothly.

Concert promoters Daniel Cuffe and Peter Taylor founded the business in St Annes in 2009. What started as a hobby by two friends resulted in the business being named winner of the 2014 Regional Promoter of the Year Award. 2014 was certainly a significant year for the pair. They secured three dates with Rod Stewart, sold over 300,000 tickets nationwide, doubled the size of their team, and re-located offices to house their growing and fast moving operation.

It was also in 2014 that Haleys Business Advisers became involved with the team. Recognising the need for strategic business guidance beyond traditional accounting advice, Cuffe and Taylor appointed Haleys to assist in the next stage of their business development. Peter Taylor said, ‘We are delighted with all of the work Haleys has been doing for us over the last few years and their advice and guidance in helping us negotiate and structure a successful deal with Live Nation has been invaluable. Thank you for everything.’

Cuffe and Taylor are experts in production, promotion and event management, producing, curating and creatively directing shows and events across the UK. Events for 2017 include concerts by Little Mix, Bryan Adams, Jeff Lynne’s ELO and The 100 Voices of Gospel and, of course, the Lytham Festival, where the Cuff and Taylor story began. Now in its 8th year, the festival has grown exponentially.

It began as a commemorative concert to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and for the friends to do something for the local community. That first concert featured Lesley Garrett and Alfie Boe and was an immediate sell-out, an indication that the pair had an instinctive understanding of what people wanted. In 2016 the event hosted 70,000 festival-goers enjoying a myriad of live music and events over seven nights. Over the years it has attracted artists including Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Faithless, Rita Ora, Michael Ball and many more.

Tim Haley said: "This is a great opportunity for Daniel and Peter and their team, and a just reward for all their passion, dedication and hard work. We’ve enjoyed working with them, particularly in the run up to the takeover."

Peter Taylor explained: "After an incredible seven years operating as an independent promoter in the UK we are now looking forward to our new life as part of the Live Nation family and we are very excited. The music industry is very much a high-risk business and this deal takes much of the risk out of it for us.

"Daniel and I are keen to bring the biggest names possible to venues such as the Lytham Festival and this will open a lot of doors for us in accessing even bigger stars. It’s very much a strategic takeover by Live Nation and will really help us grow."

Daniel Cuffe added: "We’d definitely recommend Haleys to other growing businesses. Since appointing them back in 2014 we have worked very closely as a team with regular meetings reviewing all parts of the Cuffe and Taylor group activities."

Tim Haley said: "This is exactly what we mean in our mission statement when we talk about the power to make a difference and helping business owners increase profitability, maximize capital value, protect their assets and enjoy life to the full. Of course we are involved in statutory accounting and taxation work and ensuring that businesses have good management information, but we go further.

"Our close working relationships ensure that the goals of the principals of a business are aligned with what is actually happening in their business. Our service definitely has elements of business coaching. After all, businesses are about people not spreadsheets. We couldn’t be more delighted for all of the team at Cuffe & Taylor and we will continue to advise Daniel and Peter moving forward."

Preston based Haleys Business Advisers offer taxation and commercial expertise and work primarily with SMEs in the North West. The firm is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of AVN.