ACETOP UK LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05371318 · ltd · incorporated 2005-02-21
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (58/100)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
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
11 connected companies via shared directors
78
Filing history
53 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.
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
- 2025-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-01-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-17📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-04-17📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-04-01➕CHENG, Anthony Kwok Bo appointeddirector
- 2019-04-01➖CHAN, Nelson Chi-Fai resigneddirector
- 2018-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2005-02-21🏢Company incorporatedAs ACETOP UK LIMITED
- 2005-02-21➕CHAN, Nelson Chi-Fai appointedsecretary
- 2005-02-21➕CARGIL MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2005-02-21➕CHENG, Anthony Kai Chiu appointeddirector
- 2005-02-21➕CHAN, Nelson Chi-Fai appointeddirector
- 2005-02-21➕LEA YEAT LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
- 2005-02-21➖LEA YEAT LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
91/100
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 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +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 66. 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 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Anthony Kai Chiu Cheng Individual · British · DOB 01/1960 · age 66 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% 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
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| A HALSALL LTD→ 15943375 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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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
Incorporated2005-02-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices
Registered office
4-F Kingsgate House
114-115 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6JJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-07
Last: 2026-02-21
Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)
CHAN, Nelson Chi-Fai→
Activesecretary · appointed 2005-02-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARGIL MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 2005-02-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHENG, Anthony Kwok Bo→
Activedirector · ~39y · appointed 2019-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHENG, Anthony Kai Chiu→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2005-02-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHAN, Nelson Chi-Fai→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2005-02-21 · resigned 2019-04-01
LEA YEAT LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2005-02-21 · resigned 2005-02-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (53 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-06-28