ACCO SYSTEMS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04969200 · ltd · incorporated 2003-11-19
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
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Turnover
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£1.97M
book net assets
Opportunity
67/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 67/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 15.4y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 15.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 3 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
122 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
67/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
59
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,966,735
Cash YoY
+1%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£111k
~ YoY
Net Worth
£2.0m
↑ 23% YoY
Current Assets
£2.3m
↑ 25% YoY
Current Liabilities
£0£464k£928k£1.4m£1.9m£2.3mMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£1.97M£1.60M
Current assets£2.32M£1.86M
Cash£110.7k£109.8k
Debtors£2.21M£1.73M
Net assets£1.97M£1.60M

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

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 (37 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-08-28
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  2. 2025-08-28
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  3. 2025-08-28
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  4. 2025-08-28
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  5. 2025-08-28
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  6. 2025-08-21
    CARSON, James appointed
    director
  7. 2025-08-21
    SHAW, Russell resigned
    secretary
  8. 2025-08-21
    SHAW, Russell resigned
    director
  9. 2025-08-20
    📄
    legacy
    capital · SH20
  10. 2025-08-20
    📄
    capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figure
    capital · SH19
  11. 2025-08-20
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · CAP-SS
  12. 2025-08-20
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  13. 2025-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  14. 2024-11-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  15. 2023-10-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  16. 2022-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  17. 2021-08-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  18. 2020-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  19. 2019-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  20. 2018-10-24
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  21. 2013-10-31
    LEEK, Michael John resigned
    secretary
  22. 2013-10-31
    SHAW, Russell appointed
    secretary
  23. 2013-10-31
    LEEK, Michael John resigned
    director
  24. 2012-06-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Irere Eagle 1 Limited and Irere Eagle 2 Limited
  25. 2011-01-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD ("the Security Holder")
  26. 2011-01-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  27. 2011-01-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  28. 2008-06-26
    LEEK, Louise Emma resigned
    secretary
  29. 2008-06-26
    LEEK, Michael John appointed
    secretary
  30. 2007-04-01
    SHAW, Russell appointed
    director
  31. 2003-11-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACCO SYSTEMS LIMITED
  32. 2003-11-19
    LEEK, Louise Emma appointed
    secretary
  33. 2003-11-19
    AT SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  34. 2003-11-19
    AT SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  35. 2003-11-19
    LEEK, Michael John appointed
    director
  36. 2003-11-19
    AT DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  37. 2003-11-19
    AT DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

75/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

45/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

1 high · 1 med ·
1 insolvency-related filing on record
high

Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.

Evidence: 2025-08-20: legacy

2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: SHAW, Russell resigned 2025-08-21; SHAW, Russell resigned 2025-08-21

Group structure

Acco Systems Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Acco Systems Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
ACCO SYSTEMS LIMITED
This company · 04969200

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
Acco Systems Holdings Limited
Corporate entity
75100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control21/08/2025
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Russell Shawceased 21/08/2025· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting

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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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated2003-11-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade

Registered office

Unit F7 Optimum Business Park
Optimum Road
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0WT
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-11
Last: 2025-10-28

Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)

CARSON, James
director · ~33y · appointed 2025-08-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LEEK, Louise Emma
secretary · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2008-06-26
Resigned
LEEK, Michael John
secretary · appointed 2008-06-26 · resigned 2013-10-31
Resigned
SHAW, Russell
secretary · appointed 2013-10-31 · resigned 2025-08-21
Resigned
AT SECRETARIES LIMITED
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2003-11-19
Resigned
LEEK, Michael John
director · ~53y · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2013-10-31
Resigned
SHAW, Russell
director · ~57y · appointed 2007-04-01 · resigned 2025-08-21
Resigned
AT DIRECTORS LIMITED
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2003-11-19
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Irere Eagle 1 and Irere Eagle 2
Irere Eagle 1 Limited and Irere Eagle 2 Limited
Rent deposit deed1 property01/06/2012
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD ("the Security Holder")
Fixed charge on non-vesting debts and floating charge1 property21/01/2011
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Legal assignment1 property12/01/2011
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property11/01/2011
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (122 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2025-08-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-08-28
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-08-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-08-28
legacy
capital · SH20
2025-08-20
capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figure
capital · SH19
2025-08-20
legacy
insolvency · CAP-SS
2025-08-20
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-08-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-10-26