Vancouver’s Bench Accounting abruptly shuts down, with 600 potential jobs lost

Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work.

The company that has described itself as North America’s largest bookkeeping service for small businesses says on its website in a “notice of closure” dated Friday that the platform is “no longer accessible.”

The statement acknowledges that the closure is “abrupt and may cause disruption,” and says the firm is committed to helping customers “navigate through the transition.”

Bench has previously said it had more than 600 employees and had received investor funding of US$113 million.

It said it moved to Vancouver and changed its name to Bench in 2013, having started out in 2012 as 10sheet Inc in the U.S.

Calls to Bench’s Vancouver office went to voice mail and did not immediately receive a response.