Duo Solutions plans leadership handoff in Thouars as French accounting firms brace for 2027 VAT change

In Thouars, a small city in western France, the local office of accounting and advisory group Duo Solutions is tackling a topic many firms prefer to handle quietly: succession planning.

With the profession squeezed by digital transformation, hiring pressures and looming regulatory shifts, the company is presenting an organized handoff as a stabilizer for the small and midsize businesses it serves. Duo Solutions says its footprint—15 offices and more than 200 employees—helps it keep service steady for clients while maintaining a local presence.

The push comes as the firm flags a major deadline ahead: the end of France’s “simplified VAT regime” on January 1, 2027, a change that could force many small businesses to adjust tools, settings and internal workflows. For clients, the message is simple: continuity inside the accounting firm matters when compliance demands are rising.

A planned internal handoff in Thouars, centered on Sylvie Raby

At the Thouars office, Duo Solutions is highlighting a gradual, internal transition built around Sylvie Raby, a longtime figure at the firm who has been there since 1989.

The firm’s pitch reflects a basic reality of the accounting business: relationships are sticky. When a client has worked with the same advisers for years, switching firms is disruptive, especially when payroll, year-end closings and recurring filings run on tight calendars.

Duo Solutions describes succession as more than naming a replacement. It involves commercial continuity—introducing new points of contact and managing sensitive files—alongside technical continuity, with shared tools and consistent methods. It also requires managerial continuity, keeping teams stable during the transition, particularly in high-pressure periods tied to payroll and annual closings.

The company frames internal succession as a practical response to recruiting strains in the profession, especially for experienced staff who can manage a client portfolio. When the next generation comes from within the team, local knowledge is already in place, reducing the risk of a break in service and reinforcing the proximity that small-business clients often demand.

In Thouars, the firm also links succession planning to broader client expectations. Duo Solutions says it supports businesses through key moments—creation, growth, difficulties and sale—arguing that a prepared handoff signals the office is built to last as tax and labor rules become more demanding.

More broadly, the firm says succession planning protects culture and responsiveness: when a central person leaves a small local office, disruption can ripple across a book of business. Planning ahead is meant to limit that impact while balancing human relationships with the growing need to master digital tools, in line with Duo Solutions’ group standards.

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15 offices, 200-plus employees and 33 partners: a “mid-sized” model

Beyond the Thouars case, Duo Solutions is leaning on scale as part of its reassurance message. The group says it has 15 offices, more than 200 employees and 33 partners—large enough to pool expertise, but still positioned as a local, multi-office network rather than a distant national player.

For clients, the firm argues, that structure can translate into access to specialized services—payroll, legal support and audit—without losing on-the-ground familiarity. Duo Solutions also points to the cyclical nature of accounting work, with predictable crunch periods tied to closings, tax packages, social declarations and hiring seasons.

In that model, when one office is stretched thin, the ability to draw on other teams—or internal specialists—can help prevent delays. The group also emphasizes that proximity and technology aren’t mutually exclusive: shared portals, secure exchanges and paperless processes can coexist with in-person meetings.

Duo Solutions says its multi-office setup also supports training and skills development as rules, compliance obligations and digital practices evolve quickly. For a local office like Thouars, the company suggests, that can help stabilize staffing by offering career paths—an important factor in areas where recruiting has become difficult.

The firm acknowledges a tradeoff: standardization can dilute the personalized relationship small businesses want, especially when they’re looking for fast answers and plain-language explanations of the numbers. Duo Solutions is positioning the planned local succession in Thouars as proof that the network is meant to support local roots, not replace them.

The January 1, 2027 VAT shift—and why small firms may feel it most

Regulatory timing is another thread Duo Solutions is pushing. On its website, the firm says it has announced the elimination of the simplified VAT regime starting January 1, 2027, noting that affected businesses will be informed by the government.

For accounting firms, that kind of early warning is designed to trigger checkups: confirming which VAT regime applies, anticipating cash-flow effects and updating invoicing and filing processes. For businesses, moving from one regime to another can mean a different filing frequency, software adjustments, tighter documentation discipline and more frequent back-and-forth with advisers.

Duo Solutions argues that the smallest businesses—those still handling administrative work in a more improvised way—are most exposed to mistakes. The firm frames its role as twofold: keep clients compliant while preventing administrative load from slowing day-to-day operations.

Payroll is another pressure point the firm highlights, given complex rules, changing labor agreements and employee expectations. Duo Solutions says a multi-competency model, combining payroll and legal know-how, can speed up answers—so long as teams remain stable and deadlines hold even when files pile up.

The company also points to audit and specialized advisory work as demand grows for better business “steering”—tracking margins, costs and financing needs, especially when credit conditions can tighten. Duo Solutions says the value lies in turning accounting data into understandable indicators and actionable recommendations.

In that context, the firm’s messaging around 2027 functions as both an alert and a positioning play: anticipating change and offering clear support can strengthen credibility. For clients around Thouars, Duo Solutions suggests that could translate into preparation meetings, process audits, tool updates or short training sessions—work that depends heavily on stable staffing and continuity in leadership.

July 7 webinar spotlights France’s “mission-driven company” status

Duo Solutions is also using educational formats to reach clients across its territories. The group has announced a webinar scheduled for July 7 at 11:30 a.m. focused on the “société à mission,” a French legal framework often translated as “mission-driven company.”

The topic reflects what the firm describes as a growing demand: business owners want to connect financial performance with non-financial goals without getting lost in abstract talk. Duo Solutions frames it as advisory territory because it touches governance, goal-setting, reporting and sometimes external communications.

Under the mission-driven model, a company defines a purpose and sets formal objectives in its bylaws, tracked over time. Duo Solutions notes that for small and midsize businesses, the approach can help structure a company project, attract candidates, reassure partners or differentiate a brand—but it also brings formal requirements, indicators and internal procedures.

The webinar format, the firm suggests, allows it to reach leaders across multiple areas without moving teams, while delivering a shared baseline of information that can be reused in client meetings. Duo Solutions also acknowledges the concept remains divisive: some companies see a useful framework, others worry about another layer of administration. The firm says advisers must be cautious—laying out benefits and costs, the time required and whether a company truly has the resources to manage the objectives.

For the Thouars office, Duo Solutions is tying that governance-focused programming back to its succession planning message: preparing for the future isn’t only about an org chart, but also about services and the capacity to handle deeper, more strategic questions while staying locally present.

https://www.europe-infos.fr/business/9487/pourquoi-les-consultants-independants-optent-pour-le-portage-salarial/