Acorn Group Limited

Reference number: 540324

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Appointed representative

This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.

Responsible principal firm

Automotive Compliance Limited Reference number: 497010 Authorised View firm →
What does this mean?
  • An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
  • ACORN GROUP LIMITED (FRN 540324) is an AR of Automotive Compliance Limited (FRN 497010). When you use ACORN GROUP's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
  • Example: if you take financial advice from ACORN GROUP, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
  • Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When acorn-group.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 01543 685656 is
  • Who else gives the postcode WS7 1JS
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Other names (15)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Acorn Gallaghers Trading name
  • Acorn Kia Trading name
  • Acorn Kia PBV Burntwood Trading name
  • Acorn Kia PBV Crewe Trading name
  • Acorn Kia PBV St Helens Trading name
  • Acorn Kia St. Helens Trading name
  • Acorn Macclesfield Trading name
  • Acorn Specialist Cars Trading name
  • Acorn Warrington Trading name
  • Motor Contracts Trading name
  • Acorn Group Ltd Former name
  • Acorn Ford Former trading name
  • Acorn Mitsubishi Former trading name
  • Acorn Ssangyong Former trading name
  • Aston Garage Former trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Protection through the principal firm
    Protection works through Automotive Compliance Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
00462543
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
20 December 1948 (77 years old)
Registered office
Acorn Group Ltd Cannock Road, Chase Terrace, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 1JS, England
Nature of business
  • Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles (SIC 45111)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Michael Patrick Hammond Director Mar 1966 22 Jan 2019 None
Stephen John Mills Director Jan 1970 22 Jan 2019 1 other company
Michael Andrew Kent Styles Director Aug 1959 22 Jan 2019 4 other companies
David York Vickers Director Jan 1965 22 Jan 2019 2 other companies
Richard Thomas Vickers Director Nov 1969 22 Jan 2019 None
James William Platt Director Dec 1978 16 May 2019 2 other companies

Other companies run by these 6 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
7
closed down
1
went insolvent
1

In the full report: all 7 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 6 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • The one that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
  • The 2 companies these 6 directors run together
  • All 15 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 December 2018Full accountsAudited

Turnover

£26.5m

+12% from £23.7m

Profit before tax

£257k

−8.1% from £280k

Net assets

£2.86m

+6.4% from £2.69m

Cash at bank

£558k

+4.8% from £533k

Turnover and profit

About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 00462543. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Acorn Group’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (7) All events (44)

2023

8 November 2023

  • Changed its registered name from "Acorn Group Ltd"

FCA register

2019

22 January 2019

  • Board replaced: all 4 directors left and 5 new directors took over
  • Vm Automotive Limited took control (75–100% of shares)
  • Weldon & Waring Ltd gave up control

Companies House

2016

6 April 2016

  • Weldon & Waring Ltd took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2011

27 January 2011

  • Became an appointed representative

FCA register

1948

20 December 1948

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 44 events

  • All 44 events in its history (7 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 19
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Firms connected to Acorn Group

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Acorn Group. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms
2
share a director
1
share its postcode
2

In the full report: all 2 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (1), the same postcode (2)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
Instant PDF download

Firms like Acorn Group

Other firms of the same type (car dealer), nearest first.

In Burntwood

Grenson Motor Company LimitedBurntwoodAppointed representativeCarnet Midlands LimitedBurntwoodAuthorisedDraper Vehicle Solutions LtdBurntwoodAuthorisedMidlands Car & Van Leasing LtdBurntwoodAuthorisedSouth Avenue Fleet Sales LimitedBurntwoodAuthorisedStar Garage (Burntwood) LimitedBurntwoodAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Acorn Group

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 7 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 44 events in its history
  • 2 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Acorn Group Limited FCA authorised?
Acorn Group Limited (FRN 540324) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.
What does appointed representative mean for Acorn Group?
An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct. Acorn Group Limited (FRN 540324) is an AR of Automotive Compliance Limited (FRN 497010). When you use Acorn Group's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from Acorn Group, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.
What is Acorn Group’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 01543 685656 and the website acorn-group.co.uk for Acorn Group. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Acorn Group a scam or clone?
Acorn Group is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Acorn Group?
Protection works through Automotive Compliance Limited, the principal firm responsible for Acorn Group's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Who owns Acorn Group?
Acorn Group is owned by Vm Automotive Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares and 75–100% of votes, since 22 January 2019. Before that, it was controlled by Weldon & Waring Ltd.
Who runs Acorn Group?
Companies House lists 6 directors of Acorn Group: Michael Patrick Hammond, Stephen John Mills, Michael Andrew Kent Styles, David York Vickers, Richard Thomas Vickers and James William Platt.
How long has Acorn Group been in business?
The company was formed on 20 December 1948.
What do Acorn Group’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 December 2018, show turnover of £26.5m (+12% from £23.7m) and profit before tax of £257k (−8.1% from £280k).
Does Acorn Group use any other names?
It trades as Acorn Gallaghers, Acorn Kia, Acorn Kia PBV Burntwood, Acorn Kia PBV Crewe and Acorn Kia PBV St Helens, and 5 more names. It has previously used 5 other names, including Acorn Group Ltd, Acorn Ford and Acorn Mitsubishi.

Sources and links

The full report on Acorn Group Limited

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