ACORN HEALTH & LEISURE LTD
🌳Matureactive
09088455 · ltd · incorporated 2014-06-16
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£-674.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Fitness facilities
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 10.2y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (71/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
39 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
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £674,055
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£10k
Net Worth
-£674k
Current Assets
£530k
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £640.8k |
| Current assets | £530.3k |
| Cash | £10.0k |
| Debtors | £520.3k |
| Net assets | £-674.1k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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 (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-28📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2025-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-05📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-09-05🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-27📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-09-24🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Finbiz Funding Limited
- 2024-01-30📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-01-30🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Asset Advantage Limited
- 2023-11-01📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2023-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-27📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-06-27📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2016-03-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2016-01-06➕FRANCK, Mary appointeddirector
- 2014-06-16🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN HEALTH & LEISURE LTD
- 2014-06-16➕HOUGH, Michael appointeddirector
Owner dependency
78/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
61/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael Hough Individual · British · DOB 04/1960 · age 66 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 27/06/2018 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Leisure & entertainment · SW postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A F FITNESS STUDIO LTD→ 12474328 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| A FLY ON THE WALL LTD→ 16249046 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABACUS ARKADIA LIMITED→ 16778680 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABEONA TRAVEL CO LTD→ 14393915 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABSTRACT SELECT LIMITED→ 03967655 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ABSTRAKT C LIMITED→ 10496058 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ABSTRCT STUDIO LIMITED→ 16063092 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACADEMY CONDITIONING LTD→ 08926580 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ACADEMY MUSIC GROUP LIMITED→ 03463738 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| ACLB PRINTS LTD→ 15385135 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACS GOLF LIMITED→ 16561080 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTIVE FOOTSTEPS LTD→ 12305647 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2014-06-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC93130 — Fitness facilities
Registered office
205 Lavender Hill
London
SW11 5TB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-18
Last: 2025-07-04
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
FRANCK, Mary→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2016-01-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOUGH, Michael→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2014-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Finbiz Funding Finbiz Funding Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 24/09/2024 | 05/09/2025 | |
| outstanding | Asset Advantage Asset Advantage Limited | A registered charge | — | 30/01/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 24/03/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (39 total)
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AAMD
2025-10-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-16
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-01-30
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AAMD
2023-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-08-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-23