Serve

Reference number: 1056977

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Introducer appointed representative

This firm can only introduce you to its principal, and cannot give financial advice, recommend products, or arrange deals alone.

Responsible principal firm

Specialist Broking Retail Limited Reference number: 927512 Authorised View firm →
What does this mean?
  • An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own.
  • Serve (FRN 1056977) introduces customers to Specialist Broking Retail Limited (FRN 927512). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not Serve.
  • Example: if Serve refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from Serve itself.
  • 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.

This company holds another FCA record

A company can hold several FCA records, covering different parts of its business, and each one carries its own permissions and protection. The reference number you were given decides which record applies to you.

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 serve.org.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 01933 315555 is
  • Who else gives the postcode NN10 0RT
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FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Protection through the principal firm
    Protection works through Specialist Broking Retail 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
02951827
Company status
Active
Company type
Private company limited by guarantee
Incorporated
25 July 1994 (32 years old)
Registered office
8 West Street, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0RT, England
Nature of business
  • Social work activities without accommodation for the elderly and disabled (SIC 88100)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Zara Elizabeth Cunliffe Director Jun 1973 27 Apr 2016 1 other company
Timothy David Richard James Director Jan 1952 17 Jul 2019 1 other company
Anita Alison Harvey Director Sep 1963 15 Jan 2024 1 other company
Rachel Ann Wilson Director Dec 1987 15 Jan 2024 None
Anthony William Gibbs Secretary Not published 1 Nov 2024 –

Other companies run by these 4 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
2
closed down
2
run together
1

In the full report: all 2 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 4 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 1 company these 4 directors run together
  • All 31 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 March 2025Full accountsAudited

Net assets

£551k

−25% from £733k

Cash at bank

£373k

−17% from £450k

Employees (average)

73

Same as 73

Owed within a year

£316k

+35% from £234k

Assets and liabilities

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 02951827. 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

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

Key events (14) All events (74)

2026

18 June 2026

  • Became an introducer appointed representative

FCA register

2016

3 November 2016

  • Alan Armson no longer has significant control
  • Bernard Coker no longer has significant control
  • Lesley Howard Meakings no longer has significant control
  • Martin Coles no longer has significant control
  • Peggy Louise Hooton no longer has significant control
  • Zara Elizabeth Cunliffe no longer has significant control

Companies House

6 April 2016

  • Alan Armson gained significant control
  • Bernard Coker gained significant control
  • Lesley Howard Meakings gained significant control
  • Martin Coles gained significant control
  • Peggy Louise Hooton gained significant control
  • Zara Elizabeth Cunliffe gained significant control

Companies House

1994

25 July 1994

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 74 events

  • All 74 events in its history (14 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 60
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Firms like Serve

Other firms of the same type (insurance broker), nearest first.

In Rushden

Acres Cover LimitedRushdenAppointed representativeNorthampton Claims LimitedRushdenAppointed representativeAcres Insurance Brokers LtdRushdenAuthorisedGsi LtdRushdenAuthorised

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 Serve

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

  • 2 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 74 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Serve FCA authorised?
Serve (FRN 1056977) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.
What does introducer appointed representative mean for Serve?
An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own. Serve (FRN 1056977) introduces customers to Specialist Broking Retail Limited (FRN 927512). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not Serve. Example: if Serve refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from Serve itself. 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 Serve’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 01933 315555 and the website serve.org.uk for Serve. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Serve a scam or clone?
Serve 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 Serve?
Protection works through Specialist Broking Retail Limited, the principal firm responsible for Serve's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Who owns Serve?
Companies House lists no one with significant control of Serve now. Before that, it was controlled by Mr Alan Armson, Mr Bernard Coker and Mrs Peggy Louise Hooton.
Who runs Serve?
Companies House lists 4 directors of Serve: Zara Elizabeth Cunliffe, Timothy David Richard James, Anita Alison Harvey and Rachel Ann Wilson.
How long has Serve been in business?
The company was formed on 25 July 1994.
What do Serve’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 March 2025, show net assets of £551k (−25% from £733k) and cash at bank of £373k (−17% from £450k).

Sources and links

The full report on Serve

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