ACORN TRANSLATIONS LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 77). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £6.8k | £5.9k |
| Current assets | £19.2k | £16.9k |
| Cash | £14.6k | £13.5k |
| Debtors | £4.6k | £3.4k |
| Net assets | £6.8k | £5.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-04-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-05-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-04-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-04-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-04-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-04-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-04-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-12-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-12-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2014-06-25➕KAYE, Carolyn appointeddirector
- 2003-08-02➖KAYE, Carolyn Jane resigneddirector
- 2003-08-01➕KAYE, Carolyn Jane appointeddirector
- 2001-03-30➖KAYE, David resignedsecretary
- 2001-03-30➖SMITH, Elaine Patricia resigneddirector
- 2001-01-01➕KAYE, Carolyn Jane appointedsecretary
- 1999-05-25🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN TRANSLATIONS LIMITED
- 1999-05-25➕KAYE, David appointeddirector
- 1999-05-25➕KAYE, David appointedsecretary
- 1999-05-25➕SMITH, Elaine Patricia appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 27 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David Kaye Individual · British · DOB 03/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/06/2017 |
Mrs Carolyn Kaye Individual · British · DOB 03/1949 · age 77 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/06/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.