A.C.O. PACKAGING LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00996055 · ltd · incorporated 1970-12-03
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 41.5y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 28990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 54). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
5 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 41.5y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 41.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (55/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 6 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
125 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (40 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-07-22📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-07-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-22📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-20📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-11-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-20📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2023-11-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-26📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-07-29📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-07-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-24📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-01-05🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2021-01-05🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2021-01-05🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2021-01-05🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2020-12-16🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2019-05-02➖OSBORNE, Alan resigneddirector
- 2016-09-16➕OSBORNE, Annice Joanne appointeddirector
- 2008-11-19🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2006-09-19➕OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles appointedsecretary
- 2006-09-19➖OSBORNE, Linda Jill resignedsecretary
- 2006-09-19➖OSBORNE, Linda Jill resigneddirector
- 2002-01-01➕OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles appointeddirector
- 2001-06-07➖CHAPMAN, Paul resigneddirector
- 2000-09-30➖OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles resigneddirector
- 1996-03-06🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1996-02-26➕OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles appointeddirector
- 1993-10-18🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1985-05-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1984-10-29🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1970-12-03🏢Company incorporatedAs A.C.O. PACKAGING LIMITED
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 55 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Nicholas Charles Osborne Individual · British · DOB 04/1972 · age 54 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Annice Joanne Osborne Individual · British · DOB 05/1975 · age 51 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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| A101 SOLUTIONS (LONDON) LIMITED→ 06716618 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AATI ARCHITECTURAL LIMITED→ 01841189 · est 1984 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1970-12-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC28990 — SIC 28990
Registered office
5 Ducketts Wharf
South Street
Bishop's Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 3AR
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-03
Last: 2025-09-19
Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)
OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-09-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSBORNE, Annice Joanne→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2016-09-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2002-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSBORNE, Linda Jill→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2006-09-19
CHAPMAN, Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 2001-06-07
OSBORNE, Alan→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · resigned 2019-05-02
OSBORNE, Linda Jill→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · resigned 2006-09-19
OSBORNE, Nicholas Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 1996-02-26 · resigned 2000-09-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
5
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 19/11/2008 | 16/12/2020 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 2 properties | 06/03/1996 | 05/01/2021 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 1 property | 18/10/1993 | 05/01/2021 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 13/05/1985 | 05/01/2021 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 1 property | 29/10/1984 | 05/01/2021 |
Recent filings (125 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-07-22
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-07-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-07-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-07-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-07-22
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-07-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-11-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-20
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2023-11-20