ACORN OFFICE ACCESSORIES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
01646426 · ltd · incorporated 1982-06-24
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£408.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of other furniture
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 36.4y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 36.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
104 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £408,048
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£408k
↑ 5.5% YoY
Current Assets
£101k
↑ 2.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £429.9k | £421.1k |
| Current assets | £100.6k | £98.1k |
| Debtors | £49.2k | £58.8k |
| Net assets | £408.0k | £386.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-04-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-03-25📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-03-25📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-01-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-25📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2010-05-01➖BARTLE, John Andrew resignedsecretary
- 2005-06-28🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2003-04-03➖BARTLE, John Andrew resigneddirector
- 2000-08-16🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2000-08-10🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 1990-01-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1982-06-24🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN OFFICE ACCESSORIES LIMITED
Owner dependency
90/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 44 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Bartle Individual · British · DOB 01/1959 · age 67 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Andrew Bartleceased 14/07/2019· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · GL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1STMAN LTD→ 13820623 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A A MASON LIMITED→ 06636917 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| A E SMITH ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 06810096 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AARDVARK JEWELLERY LIMITED→ 04878002 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ABACUS UPHOLSTERY LIMITED→ 13313380 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABEC (ME) LTD→ 13497695 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABEC LTD→ 06143642 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ABERLINK LIMITED→ 07642245 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ABLE2 WEAR LIMITED→ 10809165 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ACCURATE BOILER SERVICES LTD→ 16719736 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCUTEC LIMITED→ 05740499 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ACORN THORN LTD.→ 03094490 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1982-06-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC31090 — Manufacture of other furniture
Registered office
Acorn Buildings Unit A, Mushet Park,
Crucible Close
Coleford
Glos.
GL16 8RE
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-19
Last: 2026-03-05
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
Active
BARTLE, John Andrew→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2010-05-01
BARTLE, John Andrew→
Resigneddirector · ~88y · resigned 2003-04-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 16/08/2000 | 28/06/2005 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 10/08/2000 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 08/01/1990 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (104 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-22