ACE SYSTEMS LIMITED
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -91% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 39.5y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 39.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £234.2k | £299.6k |
| Current assets | £271.9k | £378.7k |
| Cash | £9.5k | £103.1k |
| Debtors | £155.1k | £189.9k |
| Net assets | £223.4k | £278.7k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 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
- • 3 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-07📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-01-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-10-31➖SPERRINGS, Deborah Susan Jane resignedsecretary
- 2025-10-31➖SPERRINGS, Deborah Susan Jane resigneddirector
- 2025-10-31➖SPERRINGS, Ronald resigneddirector
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-31📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2022-08-30📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-31📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-03-31📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-11-30➖SPERRINGS, Steven Thomas resigneddirector
- 2007-08-01➕SPERRINGS, Andrew Kevin appointeddirector
- 2003-10-20➕SPERRINGS, Deborah Susan Jane appointedsecretary
- 2003-10-20➕SPERRINGS, Steven Thomas appointeddirector
- 2003-10-09➖LEACH, Adrian Paul resignedsecretary
- 2003-10-09➖LEACH, Adrian Paul resigneddirector
- 1997-11-14➖ALLEN, David Edward resigneddirector
- 1993-07-01➕LEACH, Adrian Paul appointedsecretary
- 1993-06-30➖BELDHAM, Esme Jane resignedsecretary
- 1986-12-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1982-08-10🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE SYSTEMS LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 44 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 ·Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: SPERRINGS, Deborah Susan Jane resigned 2025-10-31; SPERRINGS, Deborah Susan Jane resigned 2025-10-31; SPERRINGS, Ronald resigned 2025-10-31
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Kevin Sperrings Individual · British · DOB 08/1977 · age 49 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 31/12/2020 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Ronald Sperringsceased 31/12/2020· 75-100% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 18/12/1986 | — |