ACORN SUSSEX LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04533208 · ltd · incorporated 2002-09-12
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
£141
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 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
1 live charge · oldest 21.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
73 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 · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £141
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,030 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£141
↓ 88% YoY
Current Assets
£5k
↓ 27% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £141 | £1.2k |
| Current assets | £5.5k | £7.5k |
| Net assets | £141 | £1.2k |
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 (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-04📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-dateannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-07-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-01-01➖FEARS, Lorraine Ann resignedsecretary
- 2005-12-31➕FEARS, Lorraine Ann appointedsecretary
- 2005-12-31➖SHEARING, Micheala Nina resignedsecretary
- 2005-12-31➖SHEARING, Charles David resigneddirector
- 2005-12-31➖SHEARING, Micheala Nina resigneddirector
- 2005-03-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2002-09-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN SUSSEX LIMITED
- 2002-09-12➕PAYNE, Barry James appointeddirector
- 2002-09-12➕SHEARING, Micheala Nina appointedsecretary
- 2002-09-12➕TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-09-12➖TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-09-12➕SHEARING, Charles David appointeddirector
- 2002-09-12➕SHEARING, Micheala Nina appointeddirector
- 2002-09-12➕COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-09-12➖COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- 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 24 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
cleanNo 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 Barry James Payne Individual · British · DOB 07/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A FITZY LIMITED→ 16051598 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADMIRO LTD→ 09042331 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ADRIAN MARCIANTE LIMITED→ 06518056 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ADRIAN OLIVER & CO LIMITED→ 03933796 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ADRIANS CLEANING SERVICES LIMITED→ 08469480 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ADSCAPES LIMITED→ 10356755 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ADUR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES CENTRE LTD→ 16134837 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADUR PEST CONTROL LIMITED→ 14894309 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADVANCE GUARDING LTD→ 06201912 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ADVANCED BLOCKAGE CLEARANCE LIMITED→ 04447002 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ADVANCED SECURITY LTD→ 15054411 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADVANCED TRAINING DESIGNS LIMITED→ 09091541 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-09-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Sussex Barn New Road
Hellingly
Hailsham
East Sussex
BN27 4EW
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-26
Last: 2025-09-12
Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)
PAYNE, Barry James→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2002-09-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FEARS, Lorraine Ann→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-12-31 · resigned 2014-01-01
SHEARING, Micheala Nina→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-09-12 · resigned 2005-12-31
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-09-12 · resigned 2002-09-12
SHEARING, Charles David→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2002-09-12 · resigned 2005-12-31
SHEARING, Micheala Nina→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2002-09-12 · resigned 2005-12-31
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-09-12 · resigned 2002-09-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 21/03/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (73 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-08-21
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-08-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-08-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-05-20