Rechargly · Digital Accountancy Show · 7 and 8 October

The champagne 40

Forty firms, grouped by structure, nobody assigned yet. Every fact on this page is generated from the source files, so it can be rebuilt in one command. Below the forty: the eighteen reserves, and every roll-up with a recommendation and the reason against the ones I do not recommend.

Xero directory
5,189
the whole UK tab
Read and scored
837
Gold and Platinum
Qualified
43
passed every gate
Groups researched
28
5 survived
Roll-ups mapped
22
5 yes, 5 maybe
Chosen
40
this page

Generated by machine/tools/build-champagne-40.py from stage1-slate.csv, sites.csv, round2-people.csv, letter-addresses.csv and lane2-groups.csv. Nothing typed by hand.

The four gates

Gate four is new today and it removed six firms, not one of them detectable from its own website.

1. Fit, not size

Xero tier gates entry and orders the pool. Platinum buys at 2.7x its directory share, across 135 actual customers.

2. A named operational owner

The person who runs client software billing, not the senior partner. A bottle with no name on it is not sendable.

3. Something true to say

A hook, a tenure line or an honest angle. A forced line at a firm with no news lands worse than silence.

4. They can actually decide

Companies House control filing. 50 per cent or more and the owner decides, so the firm comes off.

Gate four removed: Ramsay Brown (rank 1 of 43, Sumer Group) · Richard Anthony (rank 4, Apteus) · Wellden Turnbull (Accru) · Donald Reid Group (FLB) · Hillier Hopkins (our own live deal) · and earlier Carpenter Box and Shaw Gibbs. Every one looked independent on its own site.

Group 1 · standalone firms, 24

London region, standalone, Platinum Xero

10

Crossley's conversion thesis: a standalone firm in London that is Platinum Xero is far more likely to convert. There are exactly eleven such firms on the slate, so the top ten are these and no judgement was needed. Sam Rogoff is the eleventh and sits in group 2.

1

AZURE Accountants

PLATINUMfit 95 · 14 staff · London

Love Your Accountants | Accounting, Tax & Financial Support , LYA

bookkeeping · outsourced finance · packaged pricing tiers · payroll · virtual finance director

Josh Clarke, Chief Operating Officer profile

alternate: Rob Young, 35 under 35 Finalist | Managing director of LYA | Finance

MD Rob Young's 1-day-old post on HMRC resuming doubled late-filing penalty notices (and a 3-day-old one on rate rises)

platforms: xero · contact, locations we serve, 2A The Quadrant, Epsom, KT17 4RH

2

Sopher + Co

PLATINUMfit 89 · 209 staff · London

Sopher + Co

app advisory · bookkeeping · management accounts · payroll

Benjamin Grunberg, Operations Manager profile

alternate: Sanjay Bathija, Partner and CEO at Sopher+Co | Helping entrepreneurs & fam

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Partner and CEO since Apr 2023, 200+ staff, GBP 20m; only 8-month-old year-end posts; decider confirmed, operator still unfound; the wave-4 typed

platforms: quickbooks, sage, xero · vides clarity and confidence through expert accounting services. Let’s start the convers · enquiries@sopherco.com

3

We'll Mind Your Own Business Ltd

PLATINUMfit 80 · 49 staff · London

homepage - WMYOB

bookkeeping · management accounts · payroll

Mark Raeburn, Chief Operating Officer profile

alternate: Chloe Willis, EA to Managing Director

firm hook: clients and projects shortlisted at the Broadcast Awards 2026 (firm posts 7 to 9 months old, borderline); production accounting for TV and film

Contact, 020 3848 1800, enquiries@wmyob.co.uk, 39 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London, WC2E · enquiries@wmyob.co.uk

4

Gerald Edelman LLP

PLATINUMfit 78 · 250 staff · London

Business Advisers and Accountants London

bookkeeping · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

Dan Spackman, Chief Operating Officer | Leadership Team at Gerald Edelman | Driving Operational Exc profile

alternate: Carl Lundberg, CEO at Gerald Edelman | Search Fund Investor and Adviser |

firm hiring a Full Stack AI and Automation developer (3 months); his own line on operations culture

73 Cornhill, London, EC3V 3QQ · hello@geraldedelman.com

5

Fusion Accountants Ltd

PLATINUMfit 75 · 30 staff · London

Chartered Accountants in London - Fusion Accountants

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

Jamshaid Aslam, Head of Operations

his own bio wording, not the page's 'Development Manager' label

alternate: Ayaz Choudhery MAAT, Client Manager at Fusion Accountants Ltd

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: MD since 2013 and CEO of Cinqd; nothing inside 9 months; Ayaz Choudhery was a Client Manager; roster exhausted; hires remote in Pakistan

platforms: dext, freeagent, quickbooks, xero · Profile West, Suite 2, Floor 1, 950 Great West Road, Brentford, TW8 9ES · info@fusionaccountants.co.uk

6

ADPL LLP

PLATINUMfit 74 · 23 staff · London

Accounting Direct Plus – Accountant Firm In London

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · payroll

Ronak Patel, Practice Manager profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: website: Practice Manager; LinkedIn: semi-senior since 2011 never updated, same employer so website wins for role; roster exhausted; honest angle

platforms: xero · INFO, Head Office, ADPL LLP, 293 Green Lanes, London, N13 4XS · info@accountingdirectplus.com

7

Ward Williams Limited

PLATINUMfit 73 · 61 staff · London

Ward Williams

bookkeeping · outsourced finance · payroll

Clare Kingdon, Operations Director at Ward Williams Financial Services Ltd profile

alternate: Jacky Staunton, Finance Manager at Ward Williams Ltd

25 years running the firm's own finances since Nov 2000

Belgrave House , 39-43 Monument Hill, Weybridge , Surrey, KT13 8RN · enquiries@wardwilliams.co.uk

8

Sterling Accounting Solutions - Chartered Accountants

PLATINUMfit 71 · 36 staff · London

SAS | Chartered Accountants | Your finance team, on your terms.

bookkeeping · management accounts · packaged pricing tiers · payroll · virtual finance director

Meha Bakhai, Chief Financial Officer

his ruling, confirmed on sight; ex Practice Manager, company director since Oct 2024

alternate: Finlay Everington, Group COO & CFO

promoted in July; firm hiring a Bookkeeper (2 months)

platforms: dext, quickbooks, xero · 24\/08\/SAS-Building.jpg","name":"Sterling Accounting Solutions","address":{"@type":"Pos · hello@sas-accountants.com

9

Blinkhorns

PLATINUMfit 68 · 61 staff · London

Blinkhorns|Business | taxation | good advice

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · payroll

Joe Poyser ACCA, Finance Manager at Blinkhorns profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Finance Manager since Aug 2024, runs the firm's own finances; posts 3 years old; right layer, no hook; HONEST-ANGLE CANDIDATE: Platinum West End

, Blinkhorns, 27 Mortimer Street, London, W1T 3BL · costa.demetriou@blinkhorns.co.uk

10

DS Burge & Co

PLATINUMfit 59 · 11 staff · London

Accountants in Surbiton and Wimbledon | Tax Advice and Returns | DS Burge & Co

bookkeeping · payroll · start-ups

Nelia Ozcelik, Practice Manager profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Practice Manager since Nov 2022, London, ex Baker Tilly Ukraine; no activity; right person, honest angle only; roster exhausted

platforms: xero · Head Office, The Courtyard, 7 Francis Grove, Wimbledon, SW19 4DW

Rest of the UK, standalone

14

The region gate was dropped here and should have been dropped earlier. A posted bottle does not care where it lands, and the old tiering was measuring distance from London rather than fit — which is why Accounts & Legal, Platinum, 213 staff, fit score 93, the second highest in the universe, was invisible in tier 3.

11

Accounts & Legal

PLATINUMfit 93 · 213 staff · rest of UK

Small Business Accountants | Accountant for Ambitious Businesses

app advisory · bookkeeping · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · virtual finance director

Jack Dawber-Axon ACCA, Head of Accounting at Accounts and Legal profile

1-month-old post: 30 years in accounting to the day, first day as a bookkeeper in 1996, 147 reactions

platforms: xero · The Hop Exchange, 24 Southwark Street, South Bank, London, SE1 1TY

12

Arnold Hill & Co LLP

GOLDfit 81 · 61 staff · London

Chartered Accountants London | Audit | Bookkeeping | Corporation Tax

bookkeeping · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

Eve Jephson, Finance Manager profile

alternate: Clare Hale, Practice Manager at Arnold Hill & Co LLP

21 years at the firm, PA to the Senior Partner to Practice Manager since 2011

info@arnoldhill.co.uk, 6 th   Floor Capital Tower, 91 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8RT · info@arnoldhill.co.uk

13

Walden Way & Co

GOLDfit 79 · 23 staff · London

Chartered Accountants In East London | Walden Way & Co

bookkeeping · management accounts · packaged pricing tiers · payroll · start-ups

Juan Ma, Practice Manager

alternate: Hussain Ali, Practice Manager at Walden Way & Co.

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: second Practice Manager (since 2019, ex-Deloitte); Juan Ma is the senior one; neither has posted in 4 years; roster exhausted; firm-level hook or

e also available for in-person consultations at our office. Visit our Contact Us page fo · info@waldenway.co.uk

14

Macalvins Limited

GOLDfit 78 · 33 staff · London

Macalvins Chartered Accountants, Tax and Business Advisers - Accountants Harrow, Mayfair

bookkeeping · management accounts · packaged pricing tiers · payroll · start-ups · virtual finance director

Vasanti Maru, Practice Manager

alternate: Rashmi Pandya, COO at Macalvins Group

3-month-old posts: the PrimeGlobal association days, and the GI Outsourcing team (59 reactions, her outlier)

platforms: xero · Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Modern Slavery Policy Sitemap Client login, Macalvins is a

15

ChadSan

PLATINUMfit 72 · 32 staff · rest of UK

Chadsan | Outsourced Finance, Accounting & Advisory Services

bookkeeping · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

Elva Nela, Head of Accounts profile

alternate: Susannah Fitzgerald, Practice Manager

firm hook: 3-month-old team-day post (marketing review, website audit, brand quiz), 48 reactions

London, 13 Talina Centre, Bagleys Lane, London, SW6 2BW · careers@chadsan.com

16

Surrey Hills Accountancy Limited

PLATINUMfit 71 · 15 staff · rest of UK

Outsourced Finance and Accounting I Surrey Hills Accountancy

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · virtual finance director

Helen Henson, Practice Manager profile

alternate: Lucy Dolling, Office Manager at Surrey Hills Accountancy

4-week-old post thanking the team for a completed project; firm hiring (4 months)

platforms: xero · Longfrey Cottage, Dorking Road, Chilworth, Surrey, GU4 8RH

17

The MGroup

PLATINUMfit 69 · 85 staff · rest of UK

Accountants Oxford | Tax Advisor Oxford | The MGroup

bookkeeping · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

John-Paul Cleaver, Practice Manager at The MGroup profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Practice Manager 10 yrs, Oxford - the Friday warrant; all posts stale; honest angle + Oxford

Find Us, The MGroup Partnership, C9, Glyme Court, Oxford Office Village, Langford Ln, Ki · c.denton@themgroup.co.uk

18

Wem & Co Chartered Accountants

GOLDfit 67 · 76 staff · London

Wem & Co - Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors West London

app advisory · bookkeeping · cloud accounting · payroll

Alex Wem, Chartered Accountant and Office Manager

his ruling: trust the website, Lorraine Powers is not on their current team page

alternate: Lorraine Powers, Office Manager at WEM

27 years as Office Manager; nothing on activity

Wem & Co Chartered Accountants, Savoy House, Savoy Circus, London, W3 7DA · mail@wem.biz

19

Bracey's Accountants

PLATINUMfit 59 · 52 staff · rest of UK

Accounting firm United Kingdom multiple locations

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · payroll · start-ups

Liz Lawton, Finance Manager profile

alternate: Elaine Bracey, Finance Manager

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Finance Manager, Stevenage; no activity; three reads spent; out of region

platforms: xero · /search/?api=1&query=51.96434515976667, -0.2644345865057711","address":{"@type":"PostalA · bedford@braceys-accountants.co.uk

20

Elsby & Co Accountants, Tax & Business Advisors

PLATINUMfit 59 · 34 staff · rest of UK

Accountants in Northampton | Chartered Accountants | Elsby & Co

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · payroll

James Fairweather, Client Manager profile

alternate: Dominic Graham, Client Manager | Helping small to medium sized businesses

3-month-old post on the Companies House update, 55 reactions

platforms: quickbooks, sage, xero · Rushden Office, 155 Wellingborough Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 9TB · amy.mullock@elsbyandco.co.uk

21

Sam Rogoff & Co Ltd

PLATINUMfit 54 · 17 staff · London

Sam Rogoff & Co Ltd, Fitzrovia / Great Portland Street Accountants

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · start-ups

Jennie Buse, Partner at Sam Rogoff & Co profile

alternate: Andy Templeton, Director & Chartered Accountant at Sam Rogoff & Co Ltd

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Partner 29 years, Great Portland Street; no activity; directors Andy Templeton and Emily Brown in reserve, not worth a read; Platinum

3rd Floor, Great Titchfield House, 14-18 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 8BD

22

McCabe Ford Williams

PLATINUMfit 47 · 87 staff · rest of UK

Home - MFW

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · payroll

Brigette Brown, Practice Manager at McCabe Ford Williams profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Practice Manager since Sep 2022, Ashford, Kent, ex Azets; posts 11 months old; right person, honest angle; Platinum 87 staff, out of region

platforms: iris · or complete the contact form below to speak to a member of our team and/ or to request a · ashford@mfw.co.uk

23

Blue Spire Limited

PLATINUMfit 45 · 17 staff · rest of UK

Accountants Chichester, West Sussex | Blue Spire Accountants

bookkeeping · payroll

Kirsty Longland, Head of Accounts profile

alternate: Vijay Giga, Client Services Manager at Blue Spire South LLP

firm won Employer of the Year at the Chichester Chamber business awards (her post, 2 months); colleague posted from Xerocon

platforms: xero · Sitemap, Chichester Address:, Cawley Priory, South Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, PO1

24

Lewis Brownlee Chartered Accountants, Registered Auditors & Tax Advisers

PLATINUMfit 43 · 58 staff · rest of UK

Chartered Accountants Helping SMEs Grow | Lewis Brownlee

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · payroll · virtual finance director

Rachael McLatchie, Head of Operations at Lewis Brownlee Chartered Accountants & Tax Advisers profile

alternate: Leah McGarvey, Practice Manager at Lewis Brownlee Chartered Accountants,

new in the seat this month (Sep 2026), from a Petersfield law firm

platforms: dext, quickbooks, xero · MIDHURST & WHITELEY:, Monday - Friday: 8:30am - 5:30pm, Find Us, CHICHESTER:   Appledram

Three swaps against the raw score. The model gives Platinum 15 points and Gold 8, but the customer base says Platinum buys at 2.7 times its directory share. Out: Sobell Rhodes, OnTheGo, Office Assistants, all Gold. In: Lewis Brownlee, McCabe Ford Williams, Blue Spire, all Platinum with an operational owner rather than a partner. But tier alone did not decide — pure re-ranking on the multiplier would drop Arnold Hill on a fit score of 81 below a Platinum firm on 28, so Arnold Hill, Walden Way and Macalvins stay on merit.

Group 2 · acquisition-built groups, 5

Small groups that have bought other practices but are not private equity owned, every one confirmed independently held on its control filing. One bottle reaches several firms. Twenty eight groups were researched to find these five.

25

The Affinity Associates Group

PLATINUM79 people · acquisition-built

Ledgers Accountancy (High Wycombe) joined, announcement dated 20 Nov 2023; Accounts Unlocked acquired March 2021; Jani Taylor Associates merged 2022; 'throughout the last twenty years the firm has grown by acquisition'

Xero;Dext;Fathom;TaxCalc (migrated practices off CCH

Prakash Manandhar, Head of Group Strategy and Operations

economic owner: Mukund Amin and Dharmesh Amin, Co-Founders and Directors; privately owned, explicitly not private equity

corroboration: own branch pages carry the 2021 and 2022 deals independently of the news page; ICAEW and Xero directories list the firm; no trade press found

11/12 Hallmark Trading Centre, Fourth Way, Wembley HA9 0LB (site: Wembley Head Office; a · member on our slate: Sage

26

Fresh Financials Group (a Project Payables company)

GOLD19 people · acquisition-built

Double Digit Bookkeeping 27 Jan 2026; Adder Bookkeeping 1 Apr 2025; Ozlop.com 3 Jul 2024; AccountsForMe 19 Jun 2024; Project Payables acquired Fresh Financials (UK) 17 Jun 2024, forming the Group

Xero Platinum Partner;QuickBooks Certified Pro Advisor

Lucy Butters, COO

economic owner: Marc Scrimshire, CEO (also CEO of Project Payables); Emma Fox, Founder and Managing Director

corroboration: YES, trade press: AccountsForMe on Finextra and fintech.global (Jul 2024); Ozlop on Insider Media South East and PR Fire (Aug 2024)

Registered office 86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE (Companies House 15364904, incorpor · member on our slate: Accountsforme Limited (GOLD)

27

Fusion Consulting Group

PLATINUM61 people · acquisition-built

Wilton Mutlow 31 Aug 2021; FDU Group 20 Mar 2023; Prosperity Wealth Creation plus an IFA book 31 Mar 2023; Exceed Accountants 5 May 2023; Lovetts (Hatfield) plus HBB Audit 30 Jun 2023, its 5th acquisition of 2023

Pria Lad, Head of Operations

economic owner: Mitch Young and Adam Maurice, Directors and founders (2015); Kerry Okikiade, Group CFO; SME Capital funded the

corroboration: YES: Lovetts on Pressat, which also gives run-rate revenue of GBP 7m, 90 staff and 6 offices at June 2023

Marlborough House, 298 Regents Park Road, Finchley, London N3 2SZ (site: Finchley (HQ)) · member on our slate: Lovetts Chartered Accountants (PLATINUM)

28

Sherwin Currid Accountancy

GOLD13 people · acquisition-built

Pennywise Accounting acquisition completed February 2026, described as the firm's THIRD acquisition

Xero;QuickBooks;FreeAgent;Dext

Max Sherwin, Director

economic owner: directors, no outside investor named

corroboration: own dedicated announcement page; the other two acquisitions are referenced but not named

Guildford GU1 2AB and Reading RG1 3EU on the slate; head office not labelled on the page · member on our slate: Pennywise Accounting Ltd (GOLD)

29

Golding Accountancy

GOLD3 people · acquisition-built

'Bradleys Accountants has joined Golding Accountancy' (no date on the page); Douglas Charlton Accountants also carries its own page under About us

Xero;Dext

Alan McCappin, Practice Manager (Colchester branch; was the lead at Bradleys)

economic owner: Ian Butler, Director

corroboration: the two absorbed brands each have their own page on the group site; no trade press found

Rayleigh, Essex (headquarters per search); Dartford office Suite 212, The Bridge Nucleus · member on our slate: Bradleys Accountants (GOLD) and BrightSide Business Support

Group 3 · Channel Islands, 6

Six tier A rows out of 73 read, every one with a verified island address and a named person. Eleven tier B held back deliberately: hand delivery works at small volume and tier B is visibly weaker. Alex is on the island to about 26 October, buys locally and delivers himself.

Waiting on Crossley since 11 September to read these six and say go. Alex is already there.

30

DNA Ltd

PLATINUMGuernsey · score 12 · site verified

A Xero Platinum Partner firm who uses cloud technologies in an innovative, people first approach, empowering businesses to work more efficiently, more

Xero (Platinum Partner);MangoShare (client portal)

Lisa Mahy (Office Manager)

director: Diane de Garis, BSc(Hons) FCA (Director)

About 19-20 staff listed by name on the team/about page.

Formed 2022 via merger of de garis accounting and Nimbus Accounting per search snippet, not confirmed verbatim on the fetched pages.

Normandie House, Rue à Chien, St Sampson, Guernsey · +44(0) 1481 254748

31

AllSorted Accountancy Limited

GOLDJersey · score 12 · site verified

We love being accountants and producing accounts and reports that translate numbers into actionable insights.

Xero; B1G1 (charitable giving platform, not accounting software)

Ilona Hutchins (Office Manager)

director: Etienne Davis (Managing Director, CA(SA) ACA)

roughly 20+ named staff across Leadership, Associate Directors, Managers and Accountants roles on the team page, plus one Office Manager (https://alls

Resulted from a 2020s-era merger of Purpose and ICN Toole & Co; trades as AllSorted.

Purpose House, 9 Hope Street, St Helier · +44 1534 766233 · office@allsorted.je

32

Layzell and Co

Jersey · score 11 · site verified

Where innovation meets tradition in the accountancy and advisory sector, offering three core service lines: Accountancy, Tax and Consultancy.

Xero; QuickBooks; Sage; DEXT

Vanessa Walmsley (Director of Operations)

director: Greg Layzell (CEO)

8 named team members on Meet the Team page

[]

1-3 Colomberie, St Helier, Jersey · 01534 878039 · info@layzellandco.com

33

Cleland and Co Limited

Guernsey · score 9 · site verified

"Your local accounting professionals" offering "accountancy, audit, tax and business advisory services in Guernsey"

Xero ("Xero Certified Partner")

Darina Doyle (Operations Manager)

director: Vicki Webster (Managing Director)

18 named staff across leadership/directors, managers, accountants, trainees and admin

["'Liquidations' is listed among services (insolvency-adjacent) but sits alongside a full general accountancy/audit/tax practice, not as the firm's core identit

First Floor, Harbour Court, Les Amballes, St Peter Port, Guernsey · 01481 740205 · info@cleland.gg

34

PKF Channel Islands

Jersey · score 9 · site verified

PKF Channel Islands is a firm of Chartered Accountants based in Jersey, Channel Islands providing a range of accountancy, audit, tax, business advisor

QuickBooks; Xero (Gold partner)

Rebecca Carter (Operations Director)

director: Rob Behan (Partner)

13 directors, over 50 staff members (https://www.pkfci.com/about-us/leadership-team/ and firm description on homepage)

["premise_verdict is a judgement call between IN and OUT given the mixed profile (large, network-affiliated, audit-heavy but also names bookkeeping and Xero/Qui

9 Bond Street, St Helier, Jersey · +44 (0) 1534 883000 · info@pkfci.com

35

Berrys Chartered Accountants

Jersey · score 8 · site verified

Berrys are chartered accountants in Jersey, reimagined for modern business. Compliance, Navigate (strategic financial support), Reset (support when th

Danielle Carpenter (Director of BD and Operations)

director: Becca Berry (Director of Accounting and Advisory)

5 named team members on the about page: two directors, a finance business partner, two bookkeepers

Plain fetch 403 on every path; read by headless Chrome. Young practice (client testimonials date from 2024 starts). No software platform named.

Top Floor, Augres House, Dumaresq Street, St Helier · 01534 786660 · hello@berrys.je

Group 4 · roll-ups and whales, 5 of 22

Twenty two roll-ups mapped. Five recommended, five conditional, twelve not — and the reason for each is below. Nobody assigned. The argument: a consolidator mid-acquisition is a consolidator whose systems decision is open, and that is the only moment it is open.

1

DJH

YES

£38.3m · 6 firms done, 4 in flight

The best target on the board. Four unnamed Bidcos incorporated in 2026, so four firms are arriving now, each with its own stack.

Paul Freeman, Chief Technical Officer

in our CRM: not in HubSpot

2

Accru Partners UK

YES

6 firms, whole portfolio known

The cheapest route to the multi-entity reference we do not have. Small enough to close, group enough to count. Bristol head office, so it passes the Scotland and Ireland exclusion.

no door found

in our CRM: not in HubSpot

3

Apteus

YES

18 entities, 11 months old

Livingbridge-backed, nine entities in three weeks. Too new to have decided anything, so no incumbent to displace.

no door found

in our CRM: not in HubSpot

4

Cooper Parry

YES

£120m · 1,600 staff · 9 deals since 2025

Already assigned to Crossley and untouched since 11 August. Targeting £1bn by 2030.

no door found

in our CRM: lifecycle Unknown, Crossley's id

5

Shaw Gibbs

YES

~800 staff · 25,000 clients · 14 deals

ECI Partners bought in on 9 September, six days ago. New backers fund systems. Nobody owns the record.

no door found

in our CRM: lead, no owner at all

6

TaxAssist

YES, not yet

250 to 400 offices

The whale, and a franchise not a roll-up. Already procures nine vendors centrally. Needs the mandate-or-menu question answered first, and a wholesale model that does not exist.

no door found

in our CRM: not checked

7

Xeinadin

NO

£134.3m · 45 firms

Alex is in an active conversation via Russell Frayne, notes to 9 August. A gift would land inside a live cycle.

Russell Frayne, Head of Digital Technology

in our CRM: LIVE £52,000 Evaluating, Alex

8

Gravita

NO

£57.8m · 18 firms

Andy's, closing 28 November.

John McHarry, Chief Technology Officer

in our CRM: LIVE £40,000 Evaluating, Andy

9

affinia

NO

£32.4m · +142% growth

Andy's, closes 30 September. Fastest grower in the Top 75 and fifteen days from a decision.

no door found

in our CRM: LIVE £40,000 Proposal Sent, Andy

10

Azets

NO

£405m, the largest

Andy's. The biggest group in the country by fee income.

Charles Richards, Head of Digital Client Service

in our CRM: marketing qualified lead, Andy

11

Sumer Group

NO

£188.5m · 21 firms named

Andy's. The biggest named portfolio we hold, on a lead with nothing on it. Raise with him rather than take.

no door found

in our CRM: lead, no deal, Andy

12

Dains

NO

£69.3m · 16 acquisitions

Andy's. And we have matched 1 firm of 16, so we barely know the portfolio.

no door found

in our CRM: lead, Andy

13

Duncan & Toplis

NO

£61.4m with Beavis Morgan

Passes the six-month age test but fails the instrument test. A soft close needs a follow-up, not a gift. And it is Alex's.

no door found

in our CRM: Closed (Not right now), 8 months, Alex

14

TC Group

NO

£120m · 18 firms

Tried twice and lost. Closed LOST is not covered by the re-engagement ruling. The FibreCRM signal means they do buy centrally, so the obstacle is history, not fit.

Ian Golding, Chief Digital Information and AI Officer

in our CRM: 2 deals Closed (LOST), Aug 2025, Alex

15

AAB

NO

£98m · 9 firms

Sits with an external letsjourney.com.au owner, an oddity to raise rather than act on. No door published.

no door found

in our CRM: lead, Trent Mclaren, external

16

S&W

NO, not yet

£656.6m as Evelyn, pre-split

Apax-backed, 1,800 staff. Unowned and available, but no door and no reference.

no door found

in our CRM: lifecycle Unknown, no owner

17

BK Plus

NO, not yet

38 offices · 770+ staff

Palatine-backed. Available, but press-sourced only with no control filing pulled and no door.

no door found

in our CRM: marketing qualified lead, no owner

18

Kinbrook

NO

Beavis Morgan

Alex's, and one firm deep.

no door found

in our CRM: lead as BM2020 Limited, Alex

19

Bishop Fleming

NO

500 staff · 9 offices

Zero acquisitions to date. A Synova platform from June 2025 with nothing yet to consolidate. Revisit when it buys.

no door found

in our CRM: lifecycle Unknown, no owner

20

BKL

NO, resolve first

rank 35, CBPE Capital

A correction to our own record. We hold it as an independent partnership; the Top 75 marks it private-equity backed and it acquired twice in 2026.

no door found

in our CRM: our file says Andy's account

21

SKS

NO, unqualified

rank 54, Shard Credit Partners

Found tonight in the Top 75. An acquisition facility rather than an equity buyout, so the structure differs. Never checked.

no door found

in our CRM: not in our records

22

Fortus

NO

115 staff · 4,500 clients

No acquisitions traceable. May be growth capital into one firm rather than a roll-up at all.

no door found

in our CRM: lead, no owner

Two constraints no gift solves. Four of the five recommended have no named recipient — only DJH has a door, so that block is one sendable bottle until the others are found.

And there is no multi-entity reference. HubSpot holds twelve United Kingdom customers and every one is a single independent firm. A group asking who else runs this across forty firms has no answer. Accru at six firms is the cheapest way to get one.

Andy has around ten roll-ups in mind and his list is not on the table. Nothing in this group should move before it is.

Seven more groups found tonight, none qualified

From the deterministic register sweep: 131 acquisition vehicles enumerated, 30 control filings pulled. These are candidates, not targets.

GroupWhereEvidence
SMH GroupSheffieldSMH Holdings controls SMH Mitchells Topco 1 and 2, plus Investments, Leeds (Jan 2026) and London holdcos
FinputCheltenhamFive entities in three days, June 2025: Group Holdings, Acquisitions, Accounting Ops, Legal Ops, Resourcing. Purpose-built to buy
GNS GroupHoddesdonBidco Aug 2025, then Group Holdings Feb 2026 above it. That sequence is a group forming
MC TopcoLiverpoolHoldco-over-topco in the accountancy code. Portfolio unknown
JCO Holdings / JaffeLondon NW1Two Newco vehicles two days apart, Sept 2023
Ascendant InvestmentsStalybridge / EC2AA dedicated acquisitions vehicle under an investment company
Kelly Partners UKLondon EC2RThe Australian listed consolidator has had a UK entity since Sept 2022. Brett Kelly held 50-75% until May 2023, now files no registrable person. ⚠ Already on our register as Alex's, do not work. What the entity actually does is not established

The second list · 18 reserves

Qualified, addressed, and not in the forty. Ranked by fit score. These are the substitutes if any of the forty falls over, and the pool if the number goes above forty.

R1

OnTheGo Accountants

GOLDfit 60 · 26 staff · rest of UK

Global Tax & Outsourced Finance for Tech Startups & High-Growth Businesses

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

Clare Troth, Head of Accounts at OnTheGo Accountants profile

alternate: Komal Aulakh, Client Finance Manager @ OnTheGo Accountants | Msc Finance

promoted to Head of Accounts in July after five years at the firm

"@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressLocality" : "London", "addressRegion" : "England", "p · info@onthegoaccountants.co.uk

R2

Sobell Rhodes LLP Chartered Accountants

GOLDfit 59 · 44 staff · London

Chartered Accountants Business & Tax Consultants Sobell Rhodes

bookkeeping · management accounts · payroll · virtual finance director

Lara Franklin, Practice Manager at Sobell Rhodes LLP profile

alternate: Nisarg Shah, Finance Manager

firm hook: 4-month-old announcement of Gareth Lishman promoted to Tax Compliance Director; Investors in People Platinum

The Kinetic Centre, Theobald Street, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 4PJ

R3

LKA Chartered Accountants

GOLDfit 53 · 21 staff · rest of UK

LKA Chartered Accountants | Chartered Accountants & Tax Advisors based in Southwest London & Surrey.

bookkeeping · outsourced finance · payroll · start-ups

Sara Lucioni, Practice Manager profile

alternate: Claire Futter, Client Services Manager at LKA Chartered Accountants

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Payroll and Practice Manager, part-time, Thames Ditton; firm's Small Firm of the Year award is 2 years old; right person, honest angle; Gold 21 s

platforms: xero · Contact us, Contact, Thames Ditton office, Annecy Court, Ferry Works, Summer Road, Thame · enquiries@lkassociates.co.uk

R4

Office Assistants

GOLDfit 52 · 52 staff · rest of UK

Office Assistants - Bookkeeping services for Essex and London

bookkeeping · outsourced finance · payroll

Paul Watson, Operations Director profile

alternate: Ruhama Haile, Founder / Export Coordinator , Ethiopian Traditional Cloth

9-month-old outlier post "We are a family business, not a big firm", 39 reactions; borderline on the 9-month rule

platforms: xero · you. Our friendly team is excited to help your business thrive with tailored bookkeeping · info@officeassistants.org.uk

R5

Caldwell Penn

PLATINUMfit 51 · 25 staff · rest of UK

Chartered accountants, tax advisors & Audits - Farnham & London

bookkeeping · payroll

Geoff Allen, Head of Business Operations profile

alternate: Sophie Ravanshad, Client Finance Manager

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Head of Business Operations since Jan 2025 (20 months, outside the rule), 11 years at the firm, Guildford; only reposts; right person, honest ang

Contact Us, Get In Touch, London, Unit V121, Vox Studios, 1-45 Durham Street, Vauxhall, · office@caldwellpenn.com

R6

Archangel Accounting Limited

GOLDfit 50 · 23 staff · rest of UK

Archangel Accounting Services

management accounts · outsourced finance · start-ups

Howard Jones, Operations Director at Archangel Accounting Limited profile

1-month-old post on the ApprovalMax breakfast roundtable on the Small Business Protection Bill; firm collaborated with ApprovalMax

©2026 Archangel Accounting Limited, All Rights Reserved., Registered in England & Wales.

R7

THP | Chartered Accountants

GOLDfit 48 · 58 staff · London

Chartered Accountants London, Essex and Surrey |THP|

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · payroll

Ian Henman, Client Services Manager & Barrister Intermediary profile

alternate: Miles Girdlestone FCA, Owner & THP Director Head of Grant Audits | Helping Innova

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Client Services Manager 10 years, London, ex NatWest; no activity; Gold 58 staff, outer London; honest angle; Miles Girdlestone and Kirsty Demeza

platforms: freeagent, iris, xero · Book a free consultation, THP Wanstead, 34-40 High Street, Wanstead, London, E11 2RJ · chelmsford@thp.co.uk

R8

Knox Cropper LLP

GOLDfit 46 · 36 staff · London

Knox Cropper Chartered Accountants - Knox Cropper

bookkeeping · payroll

Tracey Billinghurst, Office Manager and Senior Accountant at Knox Cropper profile

alternate: Duncan Jones, Owner, Knox Cropper

forty years at the firm, Office Manager since 1986

65/68 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 2AD

R9

Price Mann Limited

GOLDfit 46 · 22 staff · London

Accounting, Tax & Consulting Services in Edgware & Harrow | Price Mann

bookkeeping · payroll

Babitha Sriharan, Head of Accounts / Portfolio Manager/ Senior Accountant profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Head of Accounts since Apr 2022, Edgware; follows Xero; no activity; right layer, honest angle; Gold 22 staff

platforms: xero · profit and loss analysis, and risk mitigation strategies for lasting financial stability · info@pricemann.co.uk

R10

GSM & Co

GOLDfit 45 · 22 staff · London

Accountants in Central London | High Quality Accounting Services | GMS Accounts

bookkeeping

Vishal Shah, Audit & Accounts Manager @ Griffin Stone Moscrop & Co | Associate Chartered Accountan profile

alternate: Rob Smith FCA, Building Better Business | Chartered Accountant | Partner

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Audit and Accounts Manager 14 years, Xero Advisor Certified, City; Accountex post is a year old; Rob Smith and Richard Hill in reserve; Gold 22 s

21-27 Lamb's Conduit Street, Holborn, London, WC1N 3GS

R11

Carrington Accountancy

GOLDfit 41 · 20 staff · London

Carrington Accountancy - City of London Accountants

bookkeeping · management accounts · payroll · start-ups

Clare Pocock, Client Services Manager at Carrington Accountancy profile

15 years in the seat since Feb 2011

Birchin Court, 20 Birchin Lane, London, EC3V 9DU

R12

Melinek Fine LLP

GOLDfit 41 · 20 staff · London

Accountants in North West London - Melinek Fine - North West London Accountants

bookkeeping · management accounts · payroll

Aryeh Melinek Bsc FCA, Partner at Melinek Fine LLP profile

alternate: Ricky Noimark, Tax partner at Melinek Fine

firm hook: new Partner Ari Mechlowitz welcomed 6 months ago, 175 reactions

Professional Indemnity Insurance, In accordance with the disclosure requirements of the

R13

Bryden Johnson Limited

GOLDfit 40 · 36 staff · London

Chartered Accountants in Croydon, London | Bryden Johnson

payroll · start-ups

Lynsey Bonsels, Practice Manager profile

alternate: Leigh McGuigan, Office Manager at Bryden Johnson

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Practice Manager since Jul 2025 (14 months, outside the rule) after a career in renewables; nothing fresh; right person, honest angle; Leigh McGu

platforms: xero · BRYDEN JOHNSON, Kings Parade, Lower Coombe Street, Croydon, CR0 1AA · info@bryden-johnson.co.uk

R14

Charterhouse Accountants Ltd

GOLDfit 40 · 29 staff · London

Charterhouse AccountantsBusiness and personal Accountants

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · management accounts · payroll

Rut Stefansdottir, Head Of Operations at Charterhouse (Accountants) Limited profile

alternate: David White, Business Advisory & Planning | Property Taxation & Plannin

posted yesterday: the firm's London Bridges Walk for St Luke's Hospice Harrow & Brent, past GBP 10,000 raised

SPEAK TO OUR EXPERT TEAM TODAY, Disclaimer | Data Privacy Notice, Copyright © 2023 Chart · welcome@charter-house.net

R15

Nunn Hayward LLP

PLATINUMfit 40 · 67 staff · rest of UK

Accountants in Gerrards Cross & Chorleywood : About Nunn Hayward LLP, Chartered Accountants

bookkeeping · management accounts · payroll

Ian Nunn, Owner, Nunn Hayward profile

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Owner since 1986, Gerrards Cross; every post is a firm repost 11 months old; Platinum 67 staff, HONEST-ANGLE CANDIDATE if the operator can be fou

platforms: xero · NOT FOUND in a browser on nunn-hayward.com

R16

Sterling

GOLDfit 40 · 26 staff · London

Sterling Accounts Ltd | Tax & Business Advice | in UK & UAE

bookkeeping · cloud accounting · payroll · start-ups · virtual finance director

Prakash Jariwala, Managing Partner at Sterling, Chartered Accountants - Delivering Success, Without Str profile

1-month-old post on listening to understand, 28 reactions

info@sterlingca.com, +44(0) 208 515 2929, Our address, 505 Pinner Road, Harrow, Middlese · info@sterlingca.com

R17

Alwyns LLP

GOLDfit 38 · 26 staff · London

Alwyns Accountants

payroll

Karen Smith, Office Manager at Alwyns LLP profile

alternate: Roger Neville, Managing Partner at Alwyns LLP

sixteen years as Office Manager since 2010

Alwyns Chartered Accountants, Crown House, 151 High Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 4LG · info@alwynsllp.com

R18

Sterlings Ltd

GOLDfit 37 · 23 staff · London

Home

bookkeeping · payroll

Andrew Kaye, Director and Owner at Sterlings Ltd, Chartered Accountants profile

alternate: Gary Moss, Director and Owner, Sterlings Ltd, Chartered Accountants

honest-angle letter (ruling 7); read on LinkedIn, right person confirmed, nothing fresh inside 9 months: Director and Owner since Jul 2023, also owns Harford Michaels Kaye; nothing inside 3 years; Finchley N3, Gold; Gary Moss in reserve

  | | , , Contact Us, Sterlings Ltd | Lawford House | Albert Place | London, N3 1QA · info@sterlings.co.uk

There is no "next sixty". Forty three qualified, forty chosen, eighteen reserves — the overlap is the three swapped out. More would come from the 662 rows tagged for the email sequence, which were never letter-screened, and the top of that pool is mostly tiny Silver firms the 14 September gate excludes. The real candidates there are Platinum: RBP, Thomas Quinn, J Sweeney, flinder, Finance Box, Blu Sky.

And the sequence pool is contaminated the same way the letter pool was. Four roll-up-owned firms sit in it as independents: Moore Thompson and Simmons Gainsford belong to Sumer, Wellers and Buckley Watson belong to Accru. Separately Affinity Associates appears twice — in this forty as a group, and in the sequence as a firm. It would get a bottle and a cold email.

What this still needs

Assign the forty

Nobody is allocated. No firm here has a prior thread with anyone — the andy_thread column reads zero across all forty three.

Say go on the Channel Islands

Six tier A rows, outstanding since 11 September. Alex is already there.

Get Andy's roll-up list

He has around ten in mind. Group 4 should not move until it is on the table.

Find four doors

Accru, Apteus, Cooper Parry, TaxAssist. Without them the roll-up block is one bottle.

Counts generated from stage1-slate.csv (5,189 directory rows to 837 scored to 43 qualified), lane2-groups.csv (28 researched, 5 candidates) and slate-ci.csv (73 read, 6 tier A). People from round2-people.csv, up to three per firm with title and LinkedIn URL. Addresses from letter-addresses.csv, all 43 resolved. Service lines and platforms from sites.csv.

Ownership from Companies House persons-with-significant-control filings, 15 September 2026. Conversion evidence from the 13 September review of 135 HubSpot customers. Fee income from the Accountancy Daily and Croner-i Top 75 Firms Survey 2025, source PDF; the 2026 table could not be recovered.

Flagged unverified: TaxAssist is 250 offices on the British Franchise Association listing and 400-plus on its own site, and whether its software bundle is a mandate or a menu is not established — that single fact decides whether it is one buyer or four hundred.

Rebuild with python machine/tools/build-champagne-40.py then python machine/tools/assemble-champagne-40.py.