A.C. HITCHENS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04551260 · ltd · incorporated 2002-10-02
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 21.6y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£132.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Construction of domestic buildings
Sector: Construction
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 68100Buying and selling of own real estate
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · oldest 21.6y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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, 2 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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
95 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £132,914
Cash YoY
+169%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£84k
↑ 169% YoY
Net Worth
£133k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£274k
↓ 24% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £147.9k | £157.3k |
| Current assets | £273.7k | £362.1k |
| Cash | £83.7k | £31.1k |
| Debtors | £170.2k | £307.6k |
| Net assets | £132.9k | £132.3k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-03-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-03-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-03-21📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2024-11-15📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2024-07-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-06-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-02📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-11-05📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-08-03🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2018-08-03🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2018-08-03🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2015-12-31➕HITCHENS, Patricia appointeddirector
- 2006-11-23🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2004-11-11🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2004-10-25🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2002-11-04➕HITCHENS, Patricia appointedsecretary
- 2002-11-04➕HITCHENS, Andrew Charles appointeddirector
- 2002-10-07➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-10-07➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-10-02🏢Company incorporatedAs A.C. HITCHENS LIMITED
- 2002-10-02➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-10-02➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
99/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HITCHENS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Patricia Hitchens Individual · British · DOB 07/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Andrew Charles Hitchens Individual · British · DOB 11/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Construction · TQ postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A GOLDEN PLUMBING SERVICE LTD→ 07828509 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ACLAND PLANT HIRE LIMITED→ 05351534 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| ACOMMO2023 LTD→ 14722090 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACONA LTD→ 10363939 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ACORN BUILDING MAINTENANCE LTD→ 14349977 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACR PLASTERING SW LTD→ 16936194 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACUO SI LTD.→ 16999342 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACW KITCHENS AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITED→ 16514911 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADAMORE LIMITED→ 13882235 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADAMS ELECTRICS LTD→ 08818957 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ADAMS GAS HEATING LIMITED→ 06870083 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ADCB PROPERTIES LTD→ 12805465 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2002-10-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41202 — Construction of domestic buildings
Registered office
First Floor Cef Building
Broomhill Way
Torquay
Devon
TQ2 7QN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-16
Last: 2025-10-02
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
HITCHENS, Patricia→
Activesecretary · appointed 2002-11-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HITCHENS, Andrew Charles→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2002-11-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HITCHENS, Patricia→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2015-12-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-10-02 · resigned 2002-10-07
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-10-02 · resigned 2002-10-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 23/11/2006 | 03/08/2018 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 11/11/2004 | 03/08/2018 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 25/10/2004 | 03/08/2018 |
Recent filings (95 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-23
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-03-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-03-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-03-21
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-03-21
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2024-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-05
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-06-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-02
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-14