ACER LANDSCAPES DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05041741 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-11
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£150.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other construction installation
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 16.3y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 16.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
64 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £150,271
Cash YoY
-23%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£77k
↓ 23% YoY
Net Worth
£150k
↑ 40% YoY
Current Assets
£188k
↑ 28% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £165.9k | £134.1k |
| Current assets | £187.7k | £146.3k |
| Cash | £77.3k | £99.9k |
| Debtors | £47.4k | £8.3k |
| Net assets | £150.3k | £107.2k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-27📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-17📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2016-03-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2016-03-16📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-03-16📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2016-03-01➕WATKINSON, Kathryn Jane appointeddirector
- 2016-02-26➖WATKINSON, Paul David resigneddirector
- 2016-02-25➖WATKINSON, Paul David resignedsecretary
- 2015-09-15➕WATKINSON, Kathryn Jane appointedsecretary
- 2010-03-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2004-02-11🏢Company incorporatedAs ACER LANDSCAPES DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION LIMITED
- 2004-02-11➕WATKINSON, Andrew John appointeddirector
- 2004-02-11➕WATKINSON, Paul David appointedsecretary
- 2004-02-11➕WATKINSON, Paul David appointeddirector
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Kathryn Jane Watkinson Individual · British · DOB 09/1978 · age 48 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Andrew John Watkinson Individual · British · DOB 06/1976 · age 50 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 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 COOMBE PLUMBING CONTRACTORS LTD→ 12638801 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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| AC KING LTD→ 15059994 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AC PLUMBING AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE LTD→ 14158866 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACE DRYWALL (NOTTINGHAM) LTD→ 13873885 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACE FINISHES (NOTTINGHAM) LTD→ 13873666 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACE INSTALATIONS LTD→ 16251566 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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| ACER RENOVATIONS (MIDLANDS) LIMITED→ 13409001 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACG LIFTS LIMITED→ 16472902 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-02-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43290 — Other construction installation
Registered office
Fairthorne Laneham Road
Dunham-On-Trent
Newark
Nottinghamshire
NG22 0UW
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-25
Last: 2026-02-11
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
WATKINSON, Kathryn Jane→
Activesecretary · appointed 2015-09-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATKINSON, Andrew John→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2004-02-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATKINSON, Kathryn Jane→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2016-03-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATKINSON, Paul David→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-02-11 · resigned 2016-02-25
WATKINSON, Paul David→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 2004-02-11 · resigned 2016-02-26
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 | 22/03/2010 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (64 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-23
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-10-10