ACUMEN DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
📈Growthactive
01612058 · ltd · incorporated 1982-02-08
Investment thesis
Growth-phase business — story-led; valuation sensitive to momentum.
Why interesting: Trading is scaling; acquirers paying for trajectory get disproportionate leverage.
Why risky: Price often leads fundamentals; dependency on founder often high.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: leverage-led grower with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 7 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (53/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
18 live charges · 7 lenders · oldest 40.2y
25/100
too messy
Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 40.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 7 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 55/100 (high).
Data confidence
Overall: high (82/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
18 charges (18/18 with lender, 18/18 with type)
90
Directors & officers
22 officers (6 active, 22 linked, 17 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
191 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Profitable
Profit before tax £1,618,586
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Profit before tax | £1.62M | £1.09M |
| Average employees | 98 | 9600 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
4 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (87 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-28📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-07-28🔓Charge satisfied #15
- 2025-04-22📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-04-07➕WALKER, Nicholas Guy Eades appointeddirector
- 2025-03-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-03-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-18📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-06-17🔒Charge registered #18Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2024-04-11📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-04-09🔒Charge registered #17Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD
- 2024-03-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-03-21🔒Charge registered #16Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2024-02-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-02-21🔓Charge satisfied #14
- 2023-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-04-14➖WARING, Ruth resigneddirector
- 2023-03-31📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2023-03-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-11-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-04-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-04-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #13
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #12
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #11
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #10
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #9
- 2021-04-08🔓Charge satisfied #8
- 2021-03-24🔒Charge registered #15Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2021-03-04➕DOUGHTY, Joanna Marie appointedsecretary
- 2021-03-04➖THE OXFORD SECRETARIAT LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2021-02-26➖HODGES, John resigneddirector
- 2020-08-11➕WARING, Ruth appointeddirector
- 2019-08-22➕DOUGHTY, Joanna Marie appointeddirector
- 2019-04-10🔒Charge registered #14Lender: Shawbrook Bank LTD
- 2017-10-01➕ASHRAF, Naiem appointeddirector
- 2017-10-01➕BROWN, Steven appointeddirector
- 2016-07-07🔒Charge registered #13Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2015-10-02🔒Charge registered #12Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2015-07-06🔒Charge registered #11Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2015-01-20🔒Charge registered #10Lender: Barclays Mercantile Business Finance Limited
- 2014-01-15🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
Showing most recent 50 of 87 events
Owner dependency
58/100
Moderate — manageable with handoverSome founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.
FACTORS
- -5 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- 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.
Group structure
Acumen Logistics Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Acumen Logistics Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
ACUMEN DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
This company · 01612058
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Acumen Logistics Group Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · NN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10X MIRKA LTD→ 12843090 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 24 CAPRA TRANS LIMITED→ 14510071 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 4KO LTD→ 09271874 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| 7 BY 7 LOGISTICS & REMOVALS LTD→ 15287436 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A DUFFIELD MOTORSPORTS LTD→ 16925324 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACA LOGISTICS LIMITED→ 12389604 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACM TRANS COURIER LTD→ 15285819 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACORN TRANSPORT AND PLANT HIRE LIMITED→ 04990620 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ACTIVE TAXIS NORTH LTD→ 11961122 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACUMEN VEHICLE LOGISTICS LIMITED→ 12395414 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADAL TRANSPORT LTD→ 16660702 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADAM & SONS DRIVE LTD→ 16589707 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated1982-02-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Acumen House Park Circle
Tithe Barn Way
Swan Valley
Northampton
NN4 9BH
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-08
Last: 2026-03-25
Officers (6 active · 16 resigned)
DOUGHTY, Joanna Marie→
Activesecretary · appointed 2021-03-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ASHRAF, Naiem→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 2017-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BROWN, Steven→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2017-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DOUGHTY, Christopher Charles Clifford→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2004-07-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DOUGHTY, Joanna Marie→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2019-08-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WALKER, Nicholas Guy Eades→
Activedirector · ~42y · appointed 2025-04-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ARMSTRONG, Colin North→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-08-01 · resigned 2004-07-30
BANCROFT, Charles Nicholas→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1998-07-24
LIGHT, John Michael Heathcote→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-07-24 · resigned 2001-08-01
THE OXFORD SECRETARIAT LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2004-07-30 · resigned 2021-03-04
BANCROFT, Charles Nicholas→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · resigned 1998-07-24
BANCROFT, William George→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · resigned 1998-07-24
DENKER, John Peter→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 1995-04-01 · resigned 1998-07-24
GUINCHARD, Gilles→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 2003-10-29 · resigned 2004-07-06
HODGES, John→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 2004-06-30 · resigned 2021-02-26
MACE, Peter Stuart→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1995-04-01 · resigned 1998-07-24
MERRY, John Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 1998-07-24 · resigned 2004-07-06
NUTTALL, Philip James→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · appointed 1998-07-24 · resigned 2004-07-06
SHUTER, Adam John→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · appointed 1998-07-24 · resigned 2004-02-09
STEAD, Robin Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · resigned 1992-10-18
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
18
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:18 of 18 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 17/06/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD | A registered charge | — | 09/04/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 21/03/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 24/03/2021 | 28/07/2025 | |
| satisfied | Shawbrook Shawbrook Bank LTD | A registered charge | — | 10/04/2019 | 21/02/2024 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 07/07/2016 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 02/10/2015 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 06/07/2015 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Mercantile Business Finance Limited | A registered charge | — | 20/01/2015 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 15/01/2014 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 15/01/2014 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 15/01/2014 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/01/2014 | 08/04/2021 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/01/2014 | 08/04/2021 | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 04/10/2005 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Supplemental deed to a composite guarantee and debenture | 1 property | 09/10/1998 | 06/06/2001 | |
| satisfied | Close Brothers Close Brothers Limited | Prompt credit application | 1 property | 24/11/1992 | 09/07/1998 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 07/03/1986 | 14/07/1998 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (191 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-04
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-07-28
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-03-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-10
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-06-18
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-04-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-05
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-03-23
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-15
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-04-19