ACORN BUILDING SERVICES LTD

🌳Matureactive
06133690 · ltd · incorporated 2007-03-01
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Development of building projects
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

8 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 18.3y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 18.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
85 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
74
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
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£0Oct 2023Oct 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-10-312023-10-31
Average employees6800

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
3
filings
  • • 2 address
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (48 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-18
    📍
    change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-address
    address · AD02
  2. 2026-03-17
    📍
    move-registers-to-registered-office-company-with-new-address
    address · AD04
  3. 2025-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2025-09-09
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  5. 2025-09-09
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  6. 2025-09-06
    ➕
    CROSSLEY, Claire appointed
    secretary
  7. 2025-09-05
    ➖
    COCKCROFT, Sharon resigned
    secretary
  8. 2024-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2024-01-23
    ➕
    COCKCROFT, Sharon appointed
    secretary
  10. 2024-01-23
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  11. 2023-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2022-07-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2022-03-18
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  14. 2022-03-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Advantedge Commercial Finance (North) LTD
  15. 2022-02-21
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  16. 2022-02-21
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  17. 2022-02-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  18. 2022-02-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  19. 2021-12-20
    ✏️
    certificate-change-of-name-company
    change-of-name · CERTNM
  20. 2021-07-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  21. 2020-12-30
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  22. 2020-12-29
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  23. 2020-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  24. 2020-11-24
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  25. 2020-11-24
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  26. 2020-11-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  27. 2020-11-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  28. 2020-11-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  29. 2019-05-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Bibby Financial Services Limited (As Security Trustee)
  30. 2017-05-22
    ➖
    FOOTE, Diane Mary, Dr resigned
    secretary
  31. 2017-05-22
    ➖
    FOOTE, Diane Mary, Dr resigned
    director
  32. 2016-12-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  33. 2016-06-07
    ➕
    MERCER, David Andrew appointed
    director
  34. 2015-02-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Bibby Financial Services Limited (As Security Trustee)
  35. 2013-05-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  36. 2011-11-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  37. 2010-01-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  38. 2009-08-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  39. 2008-06-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  40. 2008-04-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  41. 2007-03-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACORN BUILDING SERVICES LTD
  42. 2007-03-01
    ➕
    MERCER, Alison appointed
    director
  43. 2007-03-01
    ➕
    FOOTE, Diane Mary, Dr appointed
    secretary
  44. 2007-03-01
    ➕
    GRAEME, Paul Gordon appointed
    secretary
  45. 2007-03-01
    ➖
    GRAEME, Paul Gordon resigned
    secretary
  46. 2007-03-01
    ➕
    FOOTE, Diane Mary, Dr appointed
    director
  47. 2007-03-01
    ➕
    GRAEME, Lesley Joyce appointed
    director
  48. 2007-03-01
    ➖
    GRAEME, Lesley Joyce resigned
    director

Owner dependency

84/100
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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

59/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

1 med · 1 low
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Multiple registered office changes
low

Multiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr David Andrew Mercer
Individual · British · DOB 02/1965 · age 61
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting07/06/2016
Mrs Alison Mercer
Individual · British · DOB 07/1973 · age 53
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Dr Diane Mary Footeceased 15/08/2017· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated2007-03-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41100 — Development of building projects

Registered office

191 Dewhirst Road
Rochdale
OL12 9TW
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-15
Last: 2026-03-01

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

CROSSLEY, Claire→
secretary · appointed 2025-09-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MERCER, Alison→
director · ~53y · appointed 2007-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MERCER, David Andrew→
director · ~61y · appointed 2016-06-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COCKCROFT, Sharon→
secretary · appointed 2024-01-23 · resigned 2025-09-05
Resigned
FOOTE, Diane Mary, Dr→
secretary · appointed 2007-03-01 · resigned 2017-05-22
Resigned
GRAEME, Paul Gordon→
secretary · appointed 2007-03-01 · resigned 2007-03-01
Resigned
FOOTE, Diane Mary, Dr→
director · ~65y · appointed 2007-03-01 · resigned 2017-05-22
Resigned
GRAEME, Lesley Joyce→
director · ~73y · appointed 2007-03-01 · resigned 2007-03-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

8
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:8 of 8 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Advantedge Commercial Finance (North)
Advantedge Commercial Finance (North) LTD
A registered charge1 property01/03/2022—
satisfied
Bibby Financial Services
Bibby Financial Services Limited (As Security Trustee)
A registered charge4 properties14/05/201921/02/2022
satisfied
Bibby Financial Services
Bibby Financial Services Limited (As Security Trustee)
A registered charge—24/02/201521/02/2022
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property28/11/201124/11/2020
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property05/01/201022/12/2016
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property21/08/200931/05/2013
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property30/06/200824/11/2020
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee & debenture1 property24/04/200824/11/2020
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (85 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-26
change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-address
address · AD02
2026-03-18
move-registers-to-registered-office-company-with-new-address
address · AD04
2026-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-28
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2025-09-09
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-01
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2024-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-27
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-03-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-15