ACE ENGINEERING (SOUTH WEST) LTD
🌳Matureactive
02876755 · ltd · incorporated 1993-12-01
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£789.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 30.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 30.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
93 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £789,152
Cash YoY
-23%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£3k
↓ 23% YoY
Net Worth
£789k
↑ 17% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | £2.8k | £3.6k |
| Net assets | £789.2k | £673.3k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-09-25📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-25📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-09-25🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-12-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-21📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2007-03-07➕STEPHENS, Janette appointeddirector
- 2007-01-04➕STEPHENS, Janette appointedsecretary
- 2007-01-04➕STEPHENS, David appointeddirector
- 2007-01-04➖HAGUE, Harold Alwyn resignedsecretary
- 2007-01-04➖ARBUTHNOTT, Dennis Michael resigneddirector
- 2007-01-04➖ARBUTHNOTT, Mary Ann Marian resigneddirector
- 1996-02-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1995-04-12➖ARBUTHNOTT, Mary Ann Marian resignedsecretary
- 1995-04-12➕HAGUE, Harold Alwyn appointedsecretary
- 1993-12-01🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE ENGINEERING (SOUTH WEST) LTD
- 1993-12-01➕ARBUTHNOTT, Mary Ann Marian appointedsecretary
- 1993-12-01➕LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1993-12-01➖LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1993-12-01➕ARBUTHNOTT, Dennis Michael appointeddirector
- 1993-12-01➕ARBUTHNOTT, Mary Ann Marian appointeddirector
- 1993-12-01➕LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1993-12-01➖LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
84/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David Stephens Individual · British · DOB 01/1964 · age 62 | 75–100% | 25–50% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 01/12/2016 |
Mrs Janette Stephens Individual · British · DOB 08/1966 · age 60 | — | 25–50% | 25-50% voting | 22/09/2025 |
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 · Professional services · TR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3SD RESEARCH LTD→ 11540766 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A BURSTOW PLANT HIRE LTD→ 09365250 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| A FRESH IDEA LTD→ 10904765 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| A J HOWES DESIGN LTD→ 12166498 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| A.E. RODDA & SON GROUP LTD→ 08330491 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ABBOTSWOOD TAXATION AND ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES LIMITED→ 08425589 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ABBOTTS EVENT HIRE LTD→ 12117267 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABSOLUTE CANVAS LIMITED→ 10605190 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ACE ACCOUNTS LTD→ 14954530 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACR RECRUITMENT & TRAINING LTD→ 09841270 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACTORBANK LTD→ 08361717 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ADAPTIVE CAM SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 12258355 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated1993-12-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices
Registered office
Quarry Park Road
Newquay
Cornwall
TR7 2NY
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-15
Last: 2025-12-01
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
Active
STEPHENS, David→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2007-01-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
STEPHENS, Janette→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2007-03-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ARBUTHNOTT, Mary Ann Marian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1993-12-01 · resigned 1995-04-12
HAGUE, Harold Alwyn→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-04-12 · resigned 2007-01-04
LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-12-01 · resigned 1993-12-01
ARBUTHNOTT, Dennis Michael→
Resigneddirector · ~92y · appointed 1993-12-01 · resigned 2007-01-04
ARBUTHNOTT, Mary Ann Marian→
Resigneddirector · ~88y · appointed 1993-12-01 · resigned 2007-01-04
LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1993-12-01 · resigned 1993-12-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Single debenture | 1 property | 20/02/1996 | 25/09/2025 |
Recent filings (93 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-09-25
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-09-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-25
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-09-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-26
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-28