ACE DECOR LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03801683 · ltd · incorporated 1999-07-06
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£1.31M
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 53). 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 (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 26.2y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 26.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
73 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
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,313,526
Cash YoY
+9%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£330k
↑ 9.3% YoY
Net Worth
£1.3m
↑ 3.8% YoY
Current Assets
£1.6m
↑ 9.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£313k£626k£940k£1.3m£1.6mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£1.34M£1.32M
Current assets£1.57M£1.43M
Cash£330.1k£301.9k
Debtors£865.3k£769.8k
Net assets£1.31M£1.26M

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 signals 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 officers
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-01
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2026-03-31
    ➖
    SMITH, Stephen resigned
    director
  3. 2025-08-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-11-26
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  5. 2024-11-26
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  6. 2024-11-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  7. 2024-11-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  8. 2024-09-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-09-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-09-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-09-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-06-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-08-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-07-27
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2017-07-27
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  17. 2017-04-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2016-05-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  19. 2015-12-29
    ➕
    MASTERSON, Julie Anne appointed
    secretary
  20. 2015-12-29
    ➖
    BAKER, Sharon resigned
    secretary
  21. 2015-12-29
    ➖
    BAKER, Glynn Frederick resigned
    director
  22. 2015-12-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  23. 2015-12-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
  24. 2002-02-01
    ➕
    HOWARD, Sean Anthony appointed
    director
  25. 2000-03-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  26. 1999-07-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACE DECOR LIMITED
  27. 1999-07-06
    ➕
    BAKER, Sharon appointed
    secretary
  28. 1999-07-06
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 1999-07-06
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 1999-07-06
    ➕
    BAKER, Glynn Frederick appointed
    director
  31. 1999-07-06
    ➕
    SMITH, Stephen appointed
    director

Owner dependency

85/100
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 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Howard & Smith Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Howard & Smith Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
ACE DECOR LIMITED
This company · 03801683

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Howard & Smith Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence06/04/2016

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 →

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14033193 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
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16316606 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
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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
Incorporated1999-07-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47520 — Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores

Registered office

Chandler House
7 Ferry Road Office Park
Riversway Preston
Lancashire
PR2 2YH

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-20
Last: 2025-07-06

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

MASTERSON, Julie Anne→
secretary · appointed 2015-12-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOWARD, Sean Anthony→
director · ~53y · appointed 2002-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAKER, Sharon→
secretary · appointed 1999-07-06 · resigned 2015-12-29
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-07-06 · resigned 1999-07-06
Resigned
BAKER, Glynn Frederick→
director · ~76y · appointed 1999-07-06 · resigned 2015-12-29
Resigned
SMITH, Stephen→
director · ~74y · appointed 1999-07-06 · resigned 2026-03-31
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property29/12/201526/11/2024
outstanding
NatWest Group
Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
A registered charge—22/12/2015—
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property22/03/200026/11/2024
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (73 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-14
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-11-26
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-09-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-06