CASE STUDY: MOORGATE MANAGEMENT F
ounded more than 100 years ago, a London-based, family-run business had built an excellent reputation in its local area, trading from a prime single-site property with loyal staff and long-standing customers. Yet despite this strong foundation, margins were tightening and the owners felt the business had lost momentum in recent years. Initially they approached Moorgate Management for support with a growth and turnaround plan – a strategy to identify where the business could improve sales, control costs and strengthen profitability. But as the discovery process unfolded, the owners began to realise that their personal goals were shifting. What started as a growth discussion evolved into a structured exit planning project designed to secure the best outcome for their retirement and the future of the company.
A plan for growth
Moorgate’s founder, Chris Maityard, was introduced through industry contacts and invited to visit the business to carry out an initial discovery session. “When I first met the owners,” he recalls, “they wanted to understand why their business wasn’t reaching the potential they thought it should, and wanted to identify and put a plan in place to achieve this. Like many owner-managers, they were working incredibly hard, but without the visibility and support structure to see where their efforts were paying off.”
Maityard began with an on-site discovery day, bringing together the family and their senior management for a structured review of every part of the operation. The session followed Moorgate’s four-pillar framework – financial, people, growth drivers, and operational – to map out how the business currently worked and where improvements could be made.
The focus at this stage was firmly on growth. The aim was to identify opportunities to increase revenue, improve margins and reduce overheads so that more profit dropped to the bottom line. The team discussed sales conversion rates, supplier terms, marketing, stock control and cashflow management, producing a detailed action plan to tackle each area.
A shift in perspective As the conversations progressed, however, a broader question began to emerge. While exploring how to strengthen the business, Maityard asked about the family’s long- term plans, and they admitted they had
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CASE STUDY
FROM GROWTH PLANNING TO A SUCCESSFUL EXIT
When a London merchant sought advice from Moorgate Management to reignite the business’ growth, the end result became a very different conversation.
been quietly considering retirement but hadn’t known where to start. “Like many family-run businesses, this was more than just a company – it was their life’s work,” he says. “They’d built a respected brand and owned a valuable property, but the day-to-day pressures of running the business had become all- consuming. As we talked through the growth plan, it became clear that what they really wanted was to create the option to step back.”
That realisation marked a turning point. Rather than focusing solely on expansion, the project evolved into a dual-purpose plan – strengthening profitability in the
short term while preparing the business for a future sale.
The first phase remained focused on getting the fundamentals right. Moorgate helped them develop a clearer financial picture by introducing structured management accounts, budgets and a 13-week cashflow forecast. Maityard also worked with them to design a strategic roadmap and five-year plan showing what the business could achieve if performance improved.
This visibility proved transformative. The family could see for the first time how specific changes – such as improved purchasing discipline, tighter rebate
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net April 2026
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