2015

Equilibrium expanded significantly in 2015. We extended the space in our Head Office by securing an additional building and also relocated to larger premises for our Chester office, moving to Telford Court on Chester Gates Business Park.

We posted record annual growth figures with turnover exceeding £5 million and won several prestigious awards. We were extremely proud that Colin Lawson, our Founder & Partner, won ‘Financial & Professional Services Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the EN North West Entrepreneur awards.

We were also delighted to be recognised for the excellent service we provide to our clients by winning ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ at the North East Cheshire Business Awards. In addition, the New Model Adviser Awards saw us receive the accolade of Adviser Firm of the Year (North).

Key events

• Expanded our Head Office and moved to a new office space in Chester

We picked up a variety of awards across the year:

• Financial & Professional Services Entrepreneur of the Year (Colin Lawson) – EN Awards
• Excellence in Customer Service – NECB Awards
• Adviser Firm of the Year (North) – New Model Adviser Awards

What else happened in this year?

In finance…

Annual UK Inflation: 0.23% CPI
Bank base rate: 0.5000% since 2009
IHT threshold: £325,000 since 2009

In the charts…

• Adele makes her return to the music scene with the release of Hello, the hugely publicised lead single from her 3^rd album 25. Hello goes on to spent 3 weeks at number one in the singles chart, with the album becoming the best-selling of the year.

On the screen…

• The latest instalment in the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens was released to worldwide anticipation. The film was the highest grossing of the year, and the 3^rd to surpass the $2 billion mark.
• Other notable releases of the year were Jurassic World which became the 2^nd best-selling film of the year; and the 24^th James Bond film Spectre. 

Around the world…

• 31^st January – Lydia Ko becomes the youngest golfer in history to be ranked number 1 in the world, at the age of 17.
• 11^th May – Pablo Picasso’s The Women of Algiers (Version O) sets a record for the highest price paid for a work of art, as it’s sold for US$179.3 million in New York.

In the UK…

• 20^th March – A partial solar eclipse blocks out from 85% of light in the south of the country and up to 98% in northern Scotland.
• 2^nd May- The second child of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, is born in London.
• 9^th September – Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning British monarch.