Auditors
bullet PricewaterhouseCoopers steps up the challenge on KPMG for whole market
bullet Nexia Smith & Williamson gains ground on AIM
bullet BDO edges higher in midcap rankings

Now the battle is really hotting up as PwC steps up its challenge on KPMG. These are the only two auditors to top the client numbers table for the whole market since we started to keep statistics six years ago, with PwC the original top dog and KPMG picking up the baton four years ago.

This time KPMG is unchanged with a tally of 380 clients but PwC, already buoyed by combining its two arms, has a remarkable seven gains to close the gap to five. The rivalry is extended into the other two tables, where PwC maintains its lead. KPMG has edged ahead of Deloitte in the market caps rankings and remains second in terms of aggregate profits.

Deloitte remains the only other auditor with more than 300 clients overall and thus stays ahead of fourth placed Ernst & Young and Grant Thornton, fifth. BDO maintains its ranking one further down and this time has an extra two clients to its credit.

Those three extra AIM clients translate into a similar gain across the market for Nexia and likewise there are single additions for UHY and Littlejohn.

Figures as at 4th November 2011 and information in brackets from 3rd August 2011.

Total Number of Stockmarket Clients
Rank Auditor No. Clients
1 (1) KPMG 380 (380)
2 (2) PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP 375 (368)
3 (3) DELOITTE 306 (309)
4 (4) ERNST & YOUNG LLP 272 (275)

5 (5) GRANT THORNTON UK LLP 259 (260)
6 (6) BDO LLP 175 (173)
7 (7) PKF (UK) LLP 77 (78)
8 (8) BAKER TILLY 70 (74)
9 (9) CROWE CLARK WHITEHILL LLP 30 (30)
10 (10) NEXIA SMITH & WILLIAMSON 28 (25)
11 (11) UHY HACKER YOUNG 24 (23)
12 (11) MAZARS LLP 22 (23)
13 (13) JEFFREYS HENRY LLP 17 (18)
14 (14) CHANTREY VELLACOTT DFK 15 (15)
15 (15) CHAPMAN DAVIS LLP 14 (14)
15 (17) LITTLEJOHN 14 (13)
17 (15) RSM TENON 13 (14)
18 (18) KINGSTON SMITH 12 (12)
19 (18) MOORE STEPHENS(BATH) 11 (12)
20 (20) SAFFERY CHAMPNESS 9 (9)
Total Market Cap of Stock Market clients
Rank Auditor £m
1 (1) PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP 1105916 (1159200)
2 (3) KPMG 514217 (521758)
3 (2) DELOITTE 479094 (522778)
4 (4) ERNST & YOUNG LLP 374631 (385223)

5 (5) BDO LLP 21368 (21885)
6 (6) GRANT THORNTON UK LLP 17903 (18762)
7 (7) MAZARS LLP 4081 (3552)
8 - HLB VNESHAUDIT 3211 -
9 (8) PKF (UK) LLP 2925 (3124)
10 (9) BAKER TILLY 2179 (2610)
11 (10) UHY MANN FRANKFORT STEIN & LIPP 1318 (1505)
12 (12) NEXIA SMITH & WILLIAMSON 954 (852)
13 - RSB & ASSOCIATES 807 -
14 (13) CHANTREY VELLACOTT DFK 673 (796)
15 (14) CROWE CLARK WHITEHILL LLP 614 (635)
16 (11) BAKER TILLY HONG KONG 564 (1237)
17 (16) UHY HACKER YOUNG 387 (445)
18 (15) BSR & CO 357 (462)
19 (17) MOORE STEPHENS(NICOSIA) 343 (426)
20 (20) LITTLEJOHN 341 (348)
Total Profit of Stock Market clients
Rank Auditor £m
1 (1) PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP 139815 (138334)
2 (2) KPMG 78106 (70004)
3 (3) DELOITTE 67391 (59372)
4 (4) ERNST & YOUNG LLP 33160 (29200)

5 (5) BDO LLP 476 (556)
6 (6) GRANT THORNTON UK LLP 395 (416)
7 - HLB VNESHAUDIT 201 -
8 (7) BAKER TILLY HONG KONG 83 (146)
9 - RSB & ASSOCIATES 69 -
10 (9) UHY MANN FRANKFORT STEIN & LIPP 48 (27)
11 (10) BSG VALENTINE 24 (24)
12 - CHAPMAN DAVIS LLP 22 -
13 (8) PKF (UK) LLP 21 (44)
14 (14) MOORE STEPHENS(BATH) 17 (13)
15 (13) REES POLLOCK 15 (15)
16 (15) M. J. ABEDIN & CO CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS 12 (12)
17 - ZYCPA COMPANY 8 -
18 (16) MACINTYRE HUDSON 7 (7)
19 - SHIPLEYS LLP 7 -
20 (18) LUTHRA & LUTHRA 6 (6)