Advising an Australian client on expanding its UK presence

Jack’s Creek was established in 1947 in Australia as a leading premium beef producer. The group handles the complete supply chain, from farmer to consumer, breeding cattle on their farmland in the Great Dividing Range in Eastern Australia. Their products include grain fed Wagyu and Black Angus products, for which the company has won many awards including World’s Best Rib-Eye and World’s Best Fillet.

Challenge

Having already exported into the UK for a number of years, the company was keen to expand its UK presence following the introduction of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement in late 2021. Their plans included hiring a local team in the UK to establish the UK office and develop sales channels both in the UK and Europe. Jack’s Creek needed an advisor with the right experience to help support the business in setting up the UK office.

How did we help?

We were introduced to Jack’s Creek by their Australian advisors, Allinial Global member firm Bentleys (Queensland). Blick Rothenberg has experience with similar international clients and has been able to assist Jack’s Creek in establishing the UK subsidiary, handle the initial registrations with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) including payroll and VAT, and take on day-to-day operational functions such as book-keeping, expense payments, managing supplier payments, etc.

We were able to offer the use of our client account for Jack’s Creek which was a great help while Jack’s Creek opened its own bank account.

We were also able to make introductions to trusted advisors who could assist with non-tax matters such as UK legal matters including employment advice, insurance, registration as a food business operator etc.

Outcome

Patrick Warmoll (CEO, Jack’s Creek) explains: “Blick Rothenberg has been an integral part of the establishment of Jack’s Creek UK over the past few months, following the introduction from our tax accountants, Bentleys, in Brisbane, Australia.

“The London-based team at Blick Rothenberg have made themselves available as we have navigated the distinct requirements and regulations in place in the UK, from incorporation of our company, registration with HMRC and set-up of payroll structures, to ongoing accounting and compliance support. We have particularly appreciated the flexibility of the team in accommodating the significant time difference between London and our head office in Australia.”