ACUTEST TEST INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
05051018 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-20
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (60/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
16 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
74 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
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-08-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-01-19
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  4. 2023-08-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-06-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-10-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-06-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-10-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-01-04
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  11. 2018-01-04
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  12. 2018-01-04
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  13. 2018-01-04
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2018-01-04
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  15. 2018-01-04
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  16. 2018-01-04
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  17. 2018-01-01
    ➕
    YU, Leo appointed
    secretary
  18. 2018-01-01
    ➕
    YU, Leo appointed
    director
  19. 2018-01-01
    ➖
    WESTBROOK, Steven resigned
    secretary
  20. 2018-01-01
    ➖
    PALMER, Nigel John resigned
    director
  21. 2016-07-31
    ➕
    WESTBROOK, Steven appointed
    director
  22. 2016-07-31
    ➖
    PODESTA, Andrew John resigned
    secretary
  23. 2016-07-31
    ➕
    WESTBROOK, Steven appointed
    secretary
  24. 2016-07-31
    ➕
    PALMER, Nigel John appointed
    director
  25. 2016-07-31
    ➖
    PODESTA, Andrew John resigned
    director
  26. 2016-07-31
    ➖
    TIMMINS, Neil, Mr. resigned
    director
  27. 2004-02-20
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACUTEST TEST INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS LIMITED
  28. 2004-02-20
    ➕
    PODESTA, Andrew John appointed
    secretary
  29. 2004-02-20
    ➕
    CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2004-02-20
    ➖
    CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  31. 2004-02-20
    ➕
    PODESTA, Andrew John appointed
    director
  32. 2004-02-20
    ➕
    TIMMINS, Neil, Mr. appointed
    director

Owner dependency

73/100
High — earn-out structure required

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

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

76/100
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 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Newbury Investments (Uk) Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Newbury Investments (Uk) Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
ACUTEST TEST INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS LIMITED
This company · 05051018

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

3 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Newbury Investments (Uk) Ltd
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control31/07/2016
Mr Leo Yu
Individual · British · DOB 06/1984 · age 42
——sig. influencesignificant influence01/01/2018
Mr Steven Westbrook
Individual · British · DOB 02/1956 · age 70
——sig. influencesignificant influence31/07/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Nigel John Palmerceased 01/01/2018· significant influence

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

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
Incorporated2004-02-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999

Registered office

Votec House
The Vo-Tec Centre, Hambridge Lane
Newbury
RG14 5TN
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-06
Last: 2026-02-20

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

YU, Leo→
secretary · appointed 2018-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WESTBROOK, Steven→
director · ~70y · appointed 2016-07-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
YU, Leo→
director · ~42y · appointed 2018-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PODESTA, Andrew John→
secretary · appointed 2004-02-20 · resigned 2016-07-31
Resigned
WESTBROOK, Steven→
secretary · appointed 2016-07-31 · resigned 2018-01-01
Resigned
CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-02-20 · resigned 2004-02-20
Resigned
PALMER, Nigel John→
director · ~70y · appointed 2016-07-31 · resigned 2018-01-01
Resigned
PODESTA, Andrew John→
director · ~58y · appointed 2004-02-20 · resigned 2016-07-31
Resigned
TIMMINS, Neil, Mr.→
director · ~62y · appointed 2004-02-20 · resigned 2016-07-31
Resigned

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

Recent filings (74 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2024-01-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-06-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-10-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-06-17