Retail & eCommerce

Perpetual transformation creates significant complexity. We see an opportunity to excel.

The pace of change is constant – but so too is our support.

Success in retail and eCommerce means navigating a stream of challenges, from fast growth and international expansion to supply chain issues and technological evolution. Our experience in accounting for ecommerce and retail allows us to support clients across all stages of this evolution, from online-first brands to brick-and-mortar businesses with digital ambitions, to global household brands.

Accounting Services for eCommerce & Retail Businesses

Our people take a real interest in our clients’ business, making a difference for brands in fashion, apparel, beauty, cosmetics and manufacturers, as well as high street chains and luxury houses. We help streamline operations and optimise financial strategies, to mitigate risk and support long-term business objectives.

Speak to a team member today

Audit and assurance

Our risk-based audit approach focuses on understanding our clients, recognising their business issues and identifying the impact that they may have on the financial statements. Coupled with our sector experience, we can determine the critical audit areas and devise specific testing based on our thorough understanding of each clients structure, organisation and business risks.

This makes us a valuable partner for accounting for retail and ecommerce brands who require accurate and timely insight into business performance.

Read about our audit services

Tax advisory

Retail and eCommerce businesses often operate across complex structures, supply chains, and jurisdictions. Our tax advisory services are designed to help you stay ahead while remaining compliant.

Making sure you’re structured efficiently and effectively:

  • Structuring advice

  • Tax-efficient finance and modelling

  • Transfer pricing

  • Capital Gains Tax and Capital Allowances

  • SDLT and CIS

Discover our tax offering

Tax compliance

Staying on top of tax responsibilities is critical for fast-paced ecommerce and retail environments. We simplify the process so you can stay focused on growth. Making it easier to ensure your fulfil your responsibilities:

  • Corporation tax returns

  • Non-resident landlord returns

  • HMRC enquiries

  • ATED

  • Corporate interest restrictions

Employment tax

Whether managing seasonal hiring or navigating benefits-in-kind for long-term staff, we help you stay compliant and cost-efficient.

  • Advising on PAYE and National Insurance issues in respect of benefits in kind

  • Advising on their compliance reporting obligations under the business expense payments regime

  • Drafting and updating staff expense and travel expense policies

  • Assisting with HMRC employment status reviews and helping to implement an internal review process

  • Structuring termination payments

  • Advising on National Living and Minimum Wage regulations

  • Managing HMRC reviews

Learn about employment tax

Transaction Services

Our transaction specialists support ecommerce and retail businesses through restructuring, acquisitions, disposals and growth funding. Pragmatic advice on key transactions and support for your operations:

  • Sale/purchase advisory and structuring

  • Due Diligence

  • IPOs

  • Group rationalisation

  • Outsourcing (bookkeeping and payroll)

Explore our transaction services

VAT

The combination of online and in-store transactions creates unique VAT challenges. We help ecommerce and retail clients unravel the rules and identify efficiencies. Unravelling the complexity of VAT schemes and rules:

  • Transaction support

  • VAT compliance

  • Partial exemption and capital goods scheme

  • Cross-border issues

Read more about VAT

Investor issues

As your brand grows, so does the importance of succession planning and value preservation. We help retailers and ecommerce business owners plan ahead. Helping you make sure your hard work pays off:

  • IHT and trusts

  • Dividend planning

  • Exit strategy

  • Moving residence and owning property abroad

Risk Assurance and Advisory Service

Our specialists will help you make informed decisions by providing independent and objective assurance on your governance, risk management and control environment. Beyond peace of mind, we’ll help you assess performance in different areas of your organisation and so identify operational efficiencies. This is especially valuable for accounting for ecommerce brands scaling quickly or responding to market volatility.

Discover Risk Assurance & Advisory Services

Why HaysMac?

Strategic support for retailers and ecommerce brands

We work at the sharp end of industry, helping early-stage, fast-growth, scale-up companies, large international privately owned groups, private equity backed businesses and well-known listed companies. Our clients rely on us not just for compliance, but for forward-looking advice tailored to the realities of ecommerce and retail markets.

Our people take a real interest in our clients’ business, making a difference for brands in fashion, apparel, beauty, cosmetics and manufacturers, as well as high street chains and luxury houses. Our team of accountants for ecommerce understands the operational pressures of digital-first businesses, from managing inventory systems to multi-channel revenue tracking.

Our team of specialists will represent your best interests and support you through your journey. We’ll keep you up to date with the latest tax and accounting guidelines, ensuring your business is well placed to grow and achieve success.

Put your trust in experts who understand your world and the challenges you face.

We pride ourselves on excellent client service delivery. We’ll work with you to meet your deadlines, ensuring we add value, while delivering a service that’s centred on your needs.

Many of our clients have international components, requiring local knowledge and expertise. We bring worldwide outreach through MSI Global Alliance (MSI), which we co-founded in 1990 to coordinate 250 reliable and recommended accountants and lawyers in the territories our clients seek to expand into and do business.

Our key service lines range from audit, tax compliance, R&D and company secretarial to outsourcing, payroll, risk assurance & advisory services, and transaction advisory services.

HaysMac in the sector

  • What our retail & eCommerce clients say about our accounting services

    I’ve had the pleasure of working with Natasha and Lotte for a number of years. Both them and the wider team have demonstrated exceptional professionalism and expertise throughout our relationship, allowing us to improve on our audit process year-on-year, through an efficient, streamlined approach, and offering intelligent tax solutions designed to complement all strategies of our business. I’d highly recommend HaysMac to any business seeking meticulous yet approachable advisors.
    Kristina Moln-Page

    Finance Director, Ann Summers

  • What our retail & eCommerce clients say about our accounting services

    We appointed HaysMac as our audit and tax advisors at a crucial point during our growth journey. We were drawn to not only their personal and proactive service, but their vast experience of working with growing, retail and eCommerce businesses, including some of the UK’s most recognisable brands, allowing us to feel like we were in safe hands. We have enjoyed the relationship we have built with them and would recommend them to anyone else within the sector.
    Matthew O'Donovan

    Group Financial Controller, LoveCrafts

It’s unusual to find specialist sector know-how at every level of an accountancy firm. We like being a bit different at HaysMac. Meet the team member who’s ready to talk shop.

View our retail & eCommerce team

Lotte Williams

Director - Head of Retail & eCommerce

Natasha Frangos

Managing Partner

Sabina Burke

Corporate Tax Director, Co-Head of Creative, Media & Technology

Andrew Barford

Partner

Mike Crowson

Mike Crowson

Director, Head of Private Equity

Matthew Yates

Assistant Manager

Diana Willats

Manager

Key contacts

Get in touch to start a conversation about your business needs. We would love to show you how a more collaborative, insight-led approach can work for your organisation.

    Not sure what you need?

    Our sector teams are equipped with specialists across all service lines, enabling them to assist you with all aspects of your business needs and challenges. Whether you need accountants for ecommerce scale-ups or advice on accounting for retail chains, we’re ready to help. Have a problem you need help with? Let us find the solution.

    Our services