AIR COOL ENGINEERING SYSTEMS LTD
🌳Matureactive
05097084 · ltd · incorporated 2004-04-06
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£179.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -68% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £179,601
Net assets shrinking
Down £356,228 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 68% YoY
Cash YoY
-68%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£96k
↓ 68% YoY
Net Worth
£180k
↓ 66% YoY
Current Assets
£171k
↓ 69% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £179.6k | £535.8k |
| Current assets | £171.1k | £549.1k |
| Cash | £95.9k | £299.4k |
| Debtors | £75.2k | £249.7k |
| Net assets | £179.6k | £535.8k |
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
3
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-17📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2026-05-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-04-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-06-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-30📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2020-04-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-04-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-02-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2009-04-06➖BENN, Nigel Anthony resigneddirector
- 2008-05-06➖BENN, Nigel Anthony resignedsecretary
- 2006-01-23➖WOOTTON, Tony resigneddirector
- 2005-04-13➕BENN, Nigel Anthony appointedsecretary
- 2005-04-13➖YOUNG, Carl Stephen resignedsecretary
- 2004-04-06🏢Company incorporatedAs AIR COOL ENGINEERING SYSTEMS LTD
- 2004-04-06➕MCLEOD, Kevin Warwick appointeddirector
- 2004-04-06➕YOUNG, Carl Stephen appointeddirector
- 2004-04-06➕YOUNG, Carl Stephen appointedsecretary
- 2004-04-06➕BENN, Nigel Anthony appointeddirector
- 2004-04-06➕WOOTTON, Tony appointeddirector
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Carl Stephen Young Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 07/04/2016 |
Mr Kevin Warwick Mcleod Individual · New Zealander · DOB 07/1955 · age 71 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 07/04/2016 |
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 · SG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & J GENERAL TRADING LTD→ 13461999 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A J FITZ LIMITED→ 09705788 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| A-LEK LIMITED→ 05474061 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ADAMSON BUILDING SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 06188178 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| AESTHETICALLY PLEASING LIMITED→ 07144772 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AFC CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LTD→ 17116253 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AGIMI LTD→ 11109376 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AGL UPVC SPRAYERS LIMITED→ 10703735 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AGR ELECTRICAL SERVICES LTD→ 13277014 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AIDAN MCCLELLAND LIMITED→ 03849781 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| AIR COOLING SOLUTIONS LTD→ 06225595 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| AIRBLU LIMITED→ 07424252 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-04-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43220 — Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation
Registered office
Aneurin House
Astonbury Farm
Aston
Hertfordshire
SG2 7EG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-20
Last: 2026-04-06
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
MCLEOD, Kevin Warwick→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2004-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
YOUNG, Carl Stephen→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2004-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BENN, Nigel Anthony→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-04-13 · resigned 2008-05-06
YOUNG, Carl Stephen→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-04-06 · resigned 2005-04-13
BENN, Nigel Anthony→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 2004-04-06 · resigned 2009-04-06
WOOTTON, Tony→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2004-04-06 · resigned 2006-01-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (61 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-27
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-05-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-29
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-12
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-04-12