ACORN CONSTRUCTION (SOUTH WALES) LIMITED

🚨Distressedactive
01696394 · ltd · incorporated 1983-02-02
Investment thesis
Attractive distress candidate — real problems but workable structure.
Why interesting: Falling signals but no deal-breakers yet; room for negotiation and turnaround.
Why risky: Signals worsening; needs speed and capital discipline.
🔒Estimated value
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Turnover
year to Mar 2024
Net worth
£-107.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
60/100
Worth a look
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Construction of domestic buildings
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 60/100 (worth a look), bankability 55/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 87). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · oldest 43.0y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 43.0 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.

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
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
104 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
60/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
45
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
41
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £107,015

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
-£107k
~ YoY
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
-£107k-£107k-£107k-£107k-£107k-£107kMar 2023Mar 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2024-03-312023-03-31
Total assets£-1.0k£-1.0k
Net assets£-107.0k£-107.0k

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-03-17
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  2. 2024-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-07-30
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  4. 2024-07-30
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  5. 2024-07-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  6. 2024-07-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  7. 2024-07-29
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  8. 2024-07-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  9. 2024-06-08
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  10. 2024-06-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2024-05-28
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  12. 2024-04-01
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  13. 2024-04-01
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  14. 2023-12-27
    CARTER, James William resigned
    director
  15. 2023-01-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  16. 2022-02-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  17. 2021-07-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  20. 2018-01-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  21. 2015-06-20
    BARKER, Beryl resigned
    director
  22. 1994-01-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  23. 1994-01-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  24. 1994-01-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  25. 1994-01-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  26. 1989-09-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  27. 1988-03-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  28. 1988-03-03
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  29. 1986-08-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  30. 1985-07-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  31. 1984-04-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  32. 1983-06-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  33. 1983-02-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACORN CONSTRUCTION (SOUTH WALES) LIMITED

Owner dependency

73/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material 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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 87 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

76/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 87 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 43 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

2 high · 1 med ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-31

Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-21

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Margaret Mary Carter
Individual · British · DOB 02/1939 · age 87
2550%
25-50% shares30/09/2024
Mr Alan John Barker
Individual · British · DOB 01/1942 · age 84
2550%
25-50% shares01/07/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr James William Carterceased 27/12/2023· 25-50% shares

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

10 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
Incorporated1983-02-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41202 — Construction of domestic buildings

Registered office

Bank Chambers
92 Newport Road
Cardiff
South Glamorgan
CF24 1DG

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-03-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2024-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-03-21OVERDUE
Last: 2025-03-07

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

CARTER, Margaret Mary
secretary
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARKER, Alan John
director · ~84y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CARTER, Margaret Mary
director · ~87y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARKER, Beryl
director · ~84y · resigned 2015-06-20
Resigned
CARTER, James William
director · ~87y · resigned 2023-12-27
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property15/09/198929/07/2024
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/03/198830/07/2024
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property03/03/198830/07/2024
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property22/08/198631/01/1994
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property25/07/198531/01/1994
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property02/04/198431/01/1994
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property17/06/198331/01/1994

Recent filings (104 total)

notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-16
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-29
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2024-06-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-07
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2024-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-01
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-04-01
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-01-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-25