ACCOLADE FINANCE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03257271 · ltd · incorporated 1996-10-01
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Financial leasing
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 10.8y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 10.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
92 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
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£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
3
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
4
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-19
    ➖
    NEMETH, Richard resigned
    director
  2. 2026-02-19
    ➖
    WILLOUGHBY, Philip John resigned
    director
  3. 2026-02-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2026-02-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  5. 2025-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-12-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-01-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-09-25
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  14. 2018-09-24
    📄
    mortgage-charge-part-release-with-charge-number
    mortgage · MR05
  15. 2018-09-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Bank of London and the Middle East PLC
  16. 2017-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-06-10
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  18. 2017-06-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  19. 2017-06-01
    ➖
    GRAHAM, Nicholas Howard resigned
    director
  20. 2015-07-31
    ➖
    CROCKATT, Iain Hugh resigned
    director
  21. 2015-07-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Trustees of the Andrew James Willoughby Pension Scheme
  22. 2014-06-18
    ➕
    GRAHAM, Nicholas Howard appointed
    director
  23. 2014-06-18
    ➕
    NEMETH, Richard appointed
    director
  24. 2014-06-18
    ➕
    WILLOUGHBY, Philip John appointed
    director
  25. 2014-06-06
    ➕
    WILLOUGHBY, Andrew James appointed
    director
  26. 2014-06-02
    ➖
    PURVIS, Gavin Spencer resigned
    secretary
  27. 2005-10-07
    ➖
    CROCKATT, Victoria Jane resigned
    secretary
  28. 2005-10-07
    ➕
    PURVIS, Gavin Spencer appointed
    secretary
  29. 1996-10-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACCOLADE FINANCE LIMITED
  30. 1996-10-01
    ➕
    CROCKATT, Victoria Jane appointed
    secretary
  31. 1996-10-01
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 1996-10-01
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  33. 1996-10-01
    ➕
    CROCKATT, Iain Hugh appointed
    director

Owner dependency

83/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

70/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 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 ·
2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: NEMETH, Richard resigned 2026-02-19; WILLOUGHBY, Philip John resigned 2026-02-19

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Andrew James Willoughby
Individual · British · DOB 09/1965 · age 61
25–50%
—25-50% shares01/05/2016

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 →

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

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 →
🔒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
Incorporated1996-10-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64910 — Financial leasing

Registered office

Clift House
Antony
Torpoint
PL11 3AA
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-07
Last: 2026-03-24

Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)

WILLOUGHBY, Andrew James→
director · ~61y · appointed 2014-06-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CROCKATT, Victoria Jane→
secretary · appointed 1996-10-01 · resigned 2005-10-07
Resigned
PURVIS, Gavin Spencer→
secretary · appointed 2005-10-07 · resigned 2014-06-02
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1996-10-01 · resigned 1996-10-01
Resigned
CROCKATT, Iain Hugh→
director · ~71y · appointed 1996-10-01 · resigned 2015-07-31
Resigned
GRAHAM, Nicholas Howard→
director · ~69y · appointed 2014-06-18 · resigned 2017-06-01
Resigned
NEMETH, Richard→
director · ~65y · appointed 2014-06-18 · resigned 2026-02-19
Resigned
WILLOUGHBY, Philip John→
director · ~87y · appointed 2014-06-18 · resigned 2026-02-19
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Bank of London and the Middle East
Bank of London and the Middle East PLC
A registered charge1 property20/09/2018—
outstanding
The Trustees of the Andrew James Willoughby Pension Scheme
A registered charge—13/07/2015—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (92 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-26
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-02-19
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-15