ACORN CLEANING SERVICES LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
04002829 · ltd · incorporated 2000-05-26
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 20.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
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Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£654.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other building and industrial cleaning activities
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 20.0y

70/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 20.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

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
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
84 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
Positive net assets
Net assets £654,750
Cash YoY
+6%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£446k
↑ 5.6% YoY
Net Worth
£655k
↑ 2.8% YoY
Current Assets
£776k
↑ 3.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£155k£310k£465k£621k£776kOct 2023Oct 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-10-312023-10-31
Total assets£668.8k£648.3k
Current assets£775.7k£751.1k
Cash£445.5k£422.0k
Debtors£327.2k£325.6k
Net assets£654.8k£637.0k

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 (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-02-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-25
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2023-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-05-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-08-08
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  9. 2019-08-08
    📄
    statement-of-companys-objects
    change-of-constitution · CC04
  10. 2019-08-07
    📄
    capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
    capital · SH10
  11. 2019-08-07
    📄
    capital-name-of-class-of-shares
    capital · SH08
  12. 2019-04-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-06-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-06-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-05-24
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-04-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2014-08-15
    ➕
    WISEMAN, Paul David Edward appointed
    director
  18. 2014-06-20
    ➕
    BLYTH, Nicola appointed
    secretary
  19. 2014-06-20
    ➖
    WISEMAN, Stefanie Anna resigned
    secretary
  20. 2012-06-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  21. 2012-05-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  22. 2006-06-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Rbs Invoice Finance Limited (The Security Holder)
  23. 2000-05-26
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACORN CLEANING SERVICES LIMITED
  24. 2000-05-26
    ➕
    WISEMAN, David John Edward appointed
    director
  25. 2000-05-26
    ➕
    THOMAS, Howard appointed
    nominee-secretary
  26. 2000-05-26
    ➖
    THOMAS, Howard resigned
    nominee-secretary
  27. 2000-05-26
    ➕
    WISEMAN, Stefanie Anna appointed
    secretary
  28. 2000-05-26
    ➕
    TESTER, William Andrew Joseph appointed
    nominee-director
  29. 2000-05-26
    ➖
    TESTER, William Andrew Joseph resigned
    nominee-director

Owner dependency

91/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
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 79 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 26 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr David John Edward Wiseman
Individual · British · DOB 04/1947 · age 79
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

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ACROMETIS SOLUTIONS LIMITED→
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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
Incorporated2000-05-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC81229 — Other building and industrial cleaning activities

Registered office

10 Europa Way
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 2EN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-06
Last: 2025-05-23

Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)

BLYTH, Nicola→
secretary · appointed 2014-06-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WISEMAN, David John Edward→
director · ~79y · appointed 2000-05-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WISEMAN, Paul David Edward→
director · ~54y · appointed 2014-08-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
THOMAS, Howard→
nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-05-26 · resigned 2000-05-26
Resigned
WISEMAN, Stefanie Anna→
secretary · appointed 2000-05-26 · resigned 2014-06-20
Resigned
TESTER, William Andrew Joseph→
nominee-director · ~64y · appointed 2000-05-26 · resigned 2000-05-26
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property28/05/2012—
satisfied
NatWest Group
Rbs Invoice Finance Limited (The Security Holder)
Fixed and floating charge1 property01/06/200602/06/2012
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (84 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-05-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-26
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2019-08-08
statement-of-companys-objects
change-of-constitution · CC04
2019-08-08