ACCOLADE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

03901628 · ltd · incorporated 1999-12-30

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

—

not disclosed

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

80/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation

Sector: Construction

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 71). 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).

Data confidence

Overall: low (53/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

No iXBRL financials extracted

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

Network not yet resolved

Filing history

77 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

80/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand

2025-09-24
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-25
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-23
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-09
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-09-24
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-09-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2017-09-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2016-09-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2016-02-11
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-09-30
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-01-30
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-01-30
📄
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2014-09-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2004-04-02
➖
PICKERING, Jacqueline Anne resigned
secretary
2004-04-01
➕
HIDGON, Davina Julia appointed
secretary
2003-12-04
➖
SLAUGHTER, Royston Arthur resigned
director
2003-11-25
➕
PICKERING, David John appointed
director
2002-06-17
➖
PICKERING, David John resigned
director
2002-06-17
➕
SLAUGHTER, Royston Arthur appointed
director
1999-12-30
🏢
Company incorporated
As ACCOLADE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
1999-12-30
➕
PICKERING, Jacqueline Anne appointed
secretary
1999-12-30
➕
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
1999-12-30
➖
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
1999-12-30
➕
PICKERING, David John appointed
director
1999-12-30
➕
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
1999-12-30
➖
COMPANY DIRECTORS 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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100

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 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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 · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr David John Pickering Individual · British · DOB 08/1955 · age 71	75–100%	—	75-100% shares	06/04/2016

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

Similar companies

Active · Construction · TA postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
1ST CHOICE GAS CARE LTD→ 11490961 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
1ST FACILITIES MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 06422482 · est 2007 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	18y	—	—
39 FORE STREET LTD.→ 11176344 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
4OURTH GENERATION LAYZELL BUILDERS LTD→ 10775374 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
A AND M DEVELOPMENTS (SOUTH WEST) LIMITED→ 12546165 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—
A FRY PLUMBING & HEATING LIMITED→ 11872587 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
A H CARPENTRY & BUILD LIMITED→ 07437387 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—
A1 WINDOWS & DOORS LIMITED→ 04132303 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	—	—
ABERCROMBIE BUILDING SERVICES LTD→ 16706073 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ABODE DEVELOPMENTS (SOUTH WEST) LTD→ 15967918 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
ACE GROUP PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS LTD→ 15695898 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
ACE PLUMBING & HEATING (B/W) LIMITED→ 12054730 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—

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.

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Company details

Statusactive

Typeltd

Incorporated1999-12-30

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC43220 — Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation

Registered office

The Gate House West Newton Manor

West Newton

Bridgwater

Somerset

TA7 0DB

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-01-13

Last: 2025-12-30

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

HIDGON, Davina Julia→

secretary · appointed 2004-04-01

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

PICKERING, David John→

director · ~71y · appointed 2003-11-25

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

PICKERING, Jacqueline Anne→

secretary · appointed 1999-12-30 · resigned 2004-04-02

Resigned

TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-12-30 · resigned 1999-12-30

Resigned

PICKERING, David John→

director · ~71y · appointed 1999-12-30 · resigned 2002-06-17

Resigned

SLAUGHTER, Royston Arthur→

director · ~102y · appointed 2002-06-17 · resigned 2003-12-04

Resigned

COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-12-30 · resigned 1999-12-30

Resigned

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