UK landscaping is consolidating fast. We unpack the roll-up playbook, size up the big platforms, and then get practical with two real listings: a London front-garden specialist and a Midlands grounds-maintenance and arboriculture firm. Expect ARR dynamics, founder-dependence risk, accreditations, margins, and whether either deal makes sense as a platform.

Highlights include Nurture Group and idverde context, why arboriculture commands premiums, what “second-tier management” does to risk, and where multiple arbitrage shows up for acquirers. T

Timestamps:
[00.00] Intro and shout-outs in the searcher community
[02.05] Theme of the episode: UK and EU landscaping consolidation
[03.20] Nurture Group story and acquisition cadence
[04.35] Nurture numbers: revenue, losses, financing, adjusted EBITDA
[05.41] idverde, TCL and Green Landscaping Group across Europe
[07.02] Recurring revenue logic and arboriculture as a stabiliser
[09.26] Why we’re doing two deals instead of one
[12.24] Deal 1: London front-garden design/restoration specialist
[14.03] Deal 1 financials and profitability profile
[16.18] Deal 1 scalability limits and niche constraints
[17.39] Deal 1 founder-dependence and transition risk
[21.01] Deal 1 verdict
[23.00] Deal 2: Midlands grounds-maintenance and arboriculture firm
[24.22] Deal 2 margins: ~£450k EBITDA on ~£1.26m turnover
[25.09] Accreditations (CHAS, SMAS) and why they matter for tenders
[27.02] Second-tier management and saleability de-risking
[29.25] Platform potential and regional bolt-on strategy
[31.29] Multiple arbitrage at scale
[32.18] Deal 2 verdict
[33.27] Wrap-up and what’s next

Listings discussed:
• https://www.intelligent.co.uk/businesses-for-sale/leading-specialist-in-front-garden-design-restoration-and-creation-for-period-properties-based-in-south-east-england-int3528
• https://uk.businessesforsale.com/uk/specialist-grounds-maintenance-arboriculture-and-landscaping-service-provider.aspx

Want the company-level numbers we reference? Check performance summaries updated weekly from Companies House via BizCrunch: https://www.bizcrunch.co

Gareth sits down with Craig Brennan to unpack how he’s grown a 60-site nursery group through patient dealmaking, strong operating cadence and a people-first culture. We get into deal structures (including vendor terms), what really moves EBITDA in childcare, how to integrate without breaking quality, and the mistakes that taught the biggest lessons. If you’re eyeing roll-ups in regulated services, this one’s a blueprint.

What you’ll learn: how to source and negotiate owner-led acquisitions, the KPIs that matter (occupancy, wage ratios, fee strategy), when to centralise vs leave local, handling staffing headwinds, and why sellers care about continuity as much as price.

Highlights include: the first “lightbulb” acquisition, spinning up a nurseries platform during Covid, six deals last year, keeping Ofsted-grade standards tight during integrations, the hardest lesson about outgrowing people, and three mistakes new buyers make.

Timestamps
[00.12] Intro and Craig’s background
[02.11] Ask For Group today
[04.47] From organic growth to first acquisition
[06.14] Professionalising the business
[10.47] Covid, regulation and safeguarding realities
[13.50] Demand, occupancy and parent expectations
[17.13] Leadership: letting go and building the team
[20.09] Debt, cash management and growth pace
[21.30] Valuations, deal flow and multiples
[24.22] Sourcing: direct to owner vs brokers
[28.49] What sellers care about beyond price
[31.14] Turnaround case study and bounce-back loans
[35.08] Headwinds: staffing, wages, ratios
[40.11] Quality and safeguarding as non-negotiables
[44.07] KPIs that move the needle
[45.19] Advice to first-time acquirers
[47.09] Wage choices, pricing and the employer brand
[48.56] Operating cadence and systems
[53.08] Closing and thanks

Guest: Craig Brennan - Chairman, SK4 Holdings; CEO & Founder, LSC; CEO & Founder, Nurtured Childcare; Owner, Cheadle Town FC.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigbrennanlsc

BizCrunch - the turnkey solution for peer-to-peer succession M&A
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Can AI cut due diligence time from weeks to days without missing red flags? For the first episode of Season 3, Gareth talks to Andrew Stace, CEO and co-founder of Reccy, about using AI to review data rooms, surface risks quickly, and help mid-market buyers reach conviction faster. We cover where AI genuinely helps, where guardrails matter, and how deal behaviour is shifting when bandwidth and fees are tight. Chapters built directly from the episode transcript.

You’ll learn:
• What Reccy actually does vs traditional data rooms
• How the “Insights Report” works and what it covers
• Privacy, hallucination control and accuracy trade-offs
• Why funds ration questions and slow-walk in hot markets
• How AI compresses the whole deal timeline and changes seller strategy

Chapters
[00.12] Andrew & Reccy
[09.45] The diligence pain AI can fix
[16.23] What Reccy actually does (pillars & workflow)
[20.24] Inside the Insights Report
[21.42] Privacy, guardrails, accuracy
[26.23] How funds triage questions now
[31.21] Reaching conviction faster with AI
[36.02] Compressed deal timelines
[40.08] Why build in the UK
[46.22] Pricing for the mid-market
[50.14] Where models and ROI are headed
[51.54] One due diligence tip you can use today

Links
Reccy AI: https://reccy.ai
Andrew Stace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-stace/
BizCrunch: www.bizcrunch.co

#MandA #DueDiligence #AI #SearchFunds #ETA #DealMaking