A FIRM of accountants and financial advisors has expanded by creating a business development team.

Harlands, which employs more than 40 staff at offices in Consett, County Durham, and Newcastle, has brought together a team of five people, including experts in IT, marketing and business systems.

The move will combine the company's traditional financial planning and accounting services with business development to provide a better service for clients.

Senior business consultant Malcolm Parry said: "We're a forward-thinking firm and, in this day and age, we believe accountants have to offer more than bread-and-butter services, such as auditing and tax compliance.

"Everything a business does, whether it's marketing, IT or accounting, should be driven by its business development goals and aligned to the business plan. Our skill is in integrating the different components of a business to increase profits and improve operational efficiency."

Led by Mr Parry, Harlands' business development team will work with small and medium-sized companies in the region to help them increase profits by setting targets and then monitoring performance to ensure they are achieved.

New members of the team include e-business consultant Peter Kerr, systems consultant Pauline Hunter, IT applications expert Graeme Lupton, and trainee Philip Murray.

The team's target is to help businesses achieve a minimum of a three-fold increase in profit.

"Owner managers work very hard in their businesses - we help them work strategically," said Mr Kerr, Peter, who joined Harlands from Ridge Media, where he was a director.

"We can help set relevant targets, then put in place a series of measures to monitor progress. It could be anything from changing visitor numbers to a website to making sure customer relationship management applications are used effectively."