Augustus Martin’s story

Kene helped us to translate the R&D scheme into specific actions that helped us to produce a more robust and thorough claim.

Who was the client?

Augustus Martin is the UK’s leading manufacturer of point-of-purchase, point-of-sale and outdoor media. They are committed to creating products with impact, design and above all, innovation at the heart. With manufacturing at their core, they have built a set of valuable products, services and software solutions that deliver a one-stop-shop. Their aim, from concept to installation, is to bring bold and imaginative out-of-home marketing campaigns to life.

What was the challenge?

Before working with us, Augustus Martin processed their R&D claims in-house. By their admission, they were unsure of the nuances in the legislation and whether certain costs would qualify. This had resulted in an overly conservative claim.

Augustus Martin were initially sceptical of the opportunity cost-benefit and added value they would receive from engaging with an external R&D tax specialist such as Kene.

Identifying the R&D

A one-day workshop was organised with top-level management and key stakeholders to demonstrate the incremental benefit we could add, focusing on both previous and current R&D claims. At the start of the workshop, clear boundaries were established between eligible and ineligible activities, which were then translated into the cost collection process.

Following the workshop, we produced a comprehensive technical narrative to justify the claim. The report covered the wide-ranging projects undertaken over the various claim periods and associated R&D expenditure levels. This provided HMRC with a clear view of the typical activities within each highlighted project.

The Kene’s team of technical specialists quickly understood what we do and were able to identify elements of our business that were eligible for R&D Tax relief that we weren’t aware of.

The result

Through this process, we were able to identify over 20 projects: 12 were commercially focused, whilst the remainder were focused on internal software-based developments.

10/10 would recommend Kene, the team were so supportive helping us pull together claims for two years. They kept behind us when there were delays on our side and any issues were resolved promptly.

As a result of our review, utilising our technical expertise and R&D tax knowledge, we were able to uncover further eligible expenditures within the business. As a result of this, Augustus Martin received a two-fold increase in claim value to £500,000.

These sizable funds will be reinvested into the development of digital tools that will enable the company to offer highly scalable concept-to-store printing solutions, maximising efficiency by digitising their processes.

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