ACORN ENTERTAINMENTS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
02596578 · ltd · incorporated 1991-03-28
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 May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Artistic creation
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 77). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
87 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0May 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Average employees100100

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-05-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-05-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-11-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-02-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-01-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-04-05
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2016-01-12
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2016-01-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  14. 2016-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-04-23
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2009-12-31
    ➖
    COOPER, Susan resigned
    secretary
  17. 2001-03-15
    ➕
    COOPER, Susan appointed
    secretary
  18. 2001-03-15
    ➖
    RUSSELL, Dudley Joseph resigned
    secretary
  19. 1999-10-01
    ➖
    DIAMOND, Stephen Francis resigned
    director
  20. 1991-03-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACORN ENTERTAINMENTS LIMITED
  21. 1991-03-28
    ➕
    RUSSELL, Dudley Joseph appointed
    director
  22. 1991-03-28
    ➕
    RUSSELL, Dudley Joseph appointed
    secretary
  23. 1991-03-28
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 1991-03-28
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 1991-03-28
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 1991-03-28
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 35 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
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 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 35 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 35 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Dudley Joseph Russell
Individual · British · DOB 03/1949 · age 77
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016

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 · Leisure & entertainment · GL postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
2401 VISUALS LTD→
14657130 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————3y——
360 FIT LTD→
15147001 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
4BALL MEDIA LIMITED→
05731153 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————20y——
A&D HOLIDAYS LIMITED→
07261883 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————15y——
A40 FITNESS LIMITED→
13614774 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
AA TREE SURGEONS & STUMP LTD→
15871755 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ABERCROMBIE & KENT EUROPE LIMITED→
02261264 · est 1988 · no financials extracted
————37y——
ACASTA DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→
08323419 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
————13y——
ADD MOTORSPORTS LTD→
07989402 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
————14y——
ADVENTURE RIDING EXPERIENCE LTD→
12147133 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
ADVENTURELAND SOFT PLAY LTD→
16463222 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
AERO-SUPER-BATICS LIMITED→
02070666 · est 1986 · no financials extracted
————39y——
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
Incorporated1991-03-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC90030 — Artistic creation

Registered office

Hill House High Street
Meysey Hampton
Cirencester
Glos
GL7 5JP
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-11
Last: 2026-03-28

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

RUSSELL, Dudley Joseph→
director · ~77y · appointed 1991-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COOPER, Susan→
secretary · appointed 2001-03-15 · resigned 2009-12-31
Resigned
RUSSELL, Dudley Joseph→
secretary · appointed 1991-03-28 · resigned 2001-03-15
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1991-03-28 · resigned 1991-03-28
Resigned
DIAMOND, Stephen Francis→
director · ~72y · resigned 1999-10-01
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1991-03-28 · resigned 1991-03-28
Resigned

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

Recent filings (87 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-03-28