ACORNMAIN LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
02649483 · ltd · incorporated 1991-09-27
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
84 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Average employees200200

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-08-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-18
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2025-03-17
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2025-02-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2024-11-11
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  6. 2024-08-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-07-31
    ➕
    DABINETT, Lucy Rachel appointed
    director
  8. 2023-08-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-08-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-11-22
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  11. 2021-08-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-05-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-08-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-09-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-08-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2011-08-19
    ➖
    POTTS, Susan Lorraine resigned
    secretary
  18. 1997-10-13
    ➖
    POTTS, Richard resigned
    secretary
  19. 1997-10-13
    ➕
    POTTS, Susan Lorraine appointed
    secretary
  20. 1997-10-13
    ➖
    POTTS, Susan Lorraine resigned
    director
  21. 1991-10-02
    ➕
    POTTS, Richard appointed
    director
  22. 1991-10-02
    ➕
    POTTS, Richard appointed
    secretary
  23. 1991-10-02
    ➖
    MBC SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 1991-10-02
    ➕
    POTTS, Susan Lorraine appointed
    director
  25. 1991-10-02
    ➖
    MBC NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 1991-09-27
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACORNMAIN LIMITED
  27. 1991-09-27
    ➕
    MBC SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 1991-09-27
    ➕
    MBC NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 35 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 35 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Richard Potts
Individual · British · DOB 01/1956 · age 70
75–100%
—75-100% shares17/06/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Similar companies

Active · Financial services · S postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
1F GROUP LIMITED→
16305749 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
4 WARD FINANCE LTD→
11936926 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————7y——
ABACUS PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT LIMITED→
03915043 · est 2000 · no financials extracted
————26y——
AC FAMILY PROTECTION LTD→
17038912 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
ACCESS MONEY (GROUP) LIMITED→
12783345 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
ACCESS TO INVESTMENT GM LIMITED→
12850597 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
ACE MORTGAGES LIMITED→
13380235 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
ACEFICONE→
11918390 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————7y——
ACF MORTGAGES LIMITED→
10201447 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
ACORN RESERVE LTD→
13242218 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————5y——
ACTUS RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LTD→
11540309 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
ACW PROTECTION LTD→
15531074 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————2y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1991-09-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64999 — Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified

Registered office

Hebblethwaites
2 Westbrook Court Sharrow Vale
Road Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S11 8YZ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-14
Last: 2025-07-31

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

DABINETT, Lucy Rachel→
director · ~35y · appointed 2024-07-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
POTTS, Richard→
director · ~70y · appointed 1991-10-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
POTTS, Richard→
secretary · appointed 1991-10-02 · resigned 1997-10-13
Resigned
POTTS, Susan Lorraine→
secretary · appointed 1997-10-13 · resigned 2011-08-19
Resigned
MBC SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1991-09-27 · resigned 1991-10-02
Resigned
POTTS, Susan Lorraine→
director · ~63y · appointed 1991-10-02 · resigned 1997-10-13
Resigned
MBC NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1991-09-27 · resigned 1991-10-02
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (84 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-03-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-02-20
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-04
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2021-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-08-06