ACE VISUAL & SOUND SYSTEMS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03608475 · ltd · incorporated 1998-08-03
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 Aug 2025
Net worth
£-88.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Business and domestic software development
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 27.5y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 27.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
14 officers (2 active, 14 linked, 9 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
82 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 declared
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £88,152

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
-£88k
↓ 8.7% YoY
Current Assets
£5k
↑ 2.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
-£88k-£69k-£51k-£32k-£13k£5kAug 2024Aug 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-08-312024-08-31
Total assets£-88.2k£-81.1k
Current assets£5.2k£5.1k
Debtors£1.2k£1.1k
Net assets£-88.2k£-81.1k

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 (44 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-26
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    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-05-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-05-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-05-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2015-09-28
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2014-10-02
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-05-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2009-09-08
    ➕
    CALDWELL, Kevin Thomas appointed
    director
  17. 2009-09-08
    ➖
    DROHAN, Robert Steven resigned
    director
  18. 2009-09-08
    ➖
    DROHAN, Susan Marie resigned
    director
  19. 2008-03-01
    ➖
    LAX, Dean resigned
    director
  20. 2006-05-01
    ➕
    LAX, Dean appointed
    director
  21. 2005-12-31
    ➖
    BEEDALL, David Edgar resigned
    director
  22. 2003-08-01
    ➕
    CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay appointed
    secretary
  23. 2003-08-01
    ➖
    DROHAN, Susan Marie resigned
    secretary
  24. 2000-05-01
    ➖
    STARBUCK, David Henry resigned
    director
  25. 1998-11-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Donbac Limited
  26. 1998-11-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  27. 1998-10-26
    ➕
    BEEDALL, David Edgar appointed
    director
  28. 1998-10-26
    ➕
    STARBUCK, David Henry appointed
    director
  29. 1998-08-28
    ➖
    CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay resigned
    secretary
  30. 1998-08-28
    ➕
    DROHAN, Susan Marie appointed
    secretary
  31. 1998-08-28
    ➖
    CALDWELL, Edward Bernard resigned
    director
  32. 1998-08-28
    ➖
    CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay resigned
    director
  33. 1998-08-28
    ➖
    CALDWELL, Kevin Thomas resigned
    director
  34. 1998-08-03
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACE VISUAL & SOUND SYSTEMS LIMITED
  35. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay appointed
    secretary
  36. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 1998-08-03
    ➖
    YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  38. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    CALDWELL, Edward Bernard appointed
    director
  39. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay appointed
    director
  40. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    CALDWELL, Kevin Thomas appointed
    director
  41. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    DROHAN, Robert Steven appointed
    director
  42. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    DROHAN, Susan Marie appointed
    director
  43. 1998-08-03
    ➕
    YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  44. 1998-08-03
    ➖
    YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES 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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

98/100
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 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Kevin Thomas Caldwell
Individual · British · DOB 04/1956 · age 70
——sig. influencesignificant influence06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1998-08-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC62012 — Business and domestic software development

Registered office

Field House Fieldside
Thorne
Doncaster
South Yorkshire
DN8 4BE

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-13
Last: 2025-08-30

Officers (2 active · 12 resigned)

CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay→
secretary · appointed 2003-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CALDWELL, Kevin Thomas→
director · ~70y · appointed 2009-09-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay→
secretary · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 1998-08-28
Resigned
DROHAN, Susan Marie→
secretary · appointed 1998-08-28 · resigned 2003-08-01
Resigned
YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 1998-08-03
Resigned
BEEDALL, David Edgar→
director · ~78y · appointed 1998-10-26 · resigned 2005-12-31
Resigned
CALDWELL, Edward Bernard→
director · ~71y · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 1998-08-28
Resigned
CALDWELL, Elizabeth Kay→
director · ~68y · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 1998-08-28
Resigned
CALDWELL, Kevin Thomas→
director · ~70y · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 1998-08-28
Resigned
DROHAN, Robert Steven→
director · ~77y · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 2009-09-08
Resigned
DROHAN, Susan Marie→
director · ~75y · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 2009-09-08
Resigned
LAX, Dean→
director · ~52y · appointed 2006-05-01 · resigned 2008-03-01
Resigned
STARBUCK, David Henry→
director · ~79y · appointed 1998-10-26 · resigned 2000-05-01
Resigned
YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-08-03 · resigned 1998-08-03
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
Donbac
Donbac Limited
Debenture1 property19/11/1998—
outstanding
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Debenture1 property13/11/1998—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (82 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-05-30