ACACIA PUBLISHING LTD
💤Zombieactive
06300078 · ltd · incorporated 2007-07-03
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£365
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other publishing activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
63 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 £365
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£365
↑ 453% YoY
Current Assets
£442
↑ 117% 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 | £442 | £67 |
| Current assets | £442 | £204 |
| Net assets | £365 | £66 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-02-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-02-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-21📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2022-09-20📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2012-06-29➖COHEN, Arnold David resignedsecretary
- 2010-01-31➖LANGAN, Stuart Brian resigneddirector
- 2007-08-06➕LANGAN, Stuart Brian appointeddirector
- 2007-07-19➕FFORDE, Arthur William Brownlow appointeddirector
- 2007-07-19➕COHEN, Arnold David appointedsecretary
- 2007-07-10➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-07-10➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-07-03🏢Company incorporatedAs ACACIA PUBLISHING LTD
- 2007-07-03➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-07-03➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
98/100
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 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Arthur William Brownlow Fforde Individual · British,Irish · DOB 10/1956 · age 70 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Technology · PL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16302521 LIMITED→ 16302521 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 2020 DIGITAL MEDIA LTD→ 09786622 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 2TECHNICAL LTD→ 11741170 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 3 BIRDS LIMITED→ 06426612 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| 50 NORTH 4 WEST LTD→ 12042003 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 5A’S SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 15717910 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 606 DISTRIBUTION LTD→ 11475374 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 7TH SIN LIMITED→ 16894181 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A E DALES CONSULTING LTD→ 16470316 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AALGAARD RENSHAW BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LTD→ 09821860 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ABOUT TIME TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED→ 15295355 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACACIAWAY LIMITED→ 03275090 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2007-07-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC58190 — Other publishing activities
Registered office
St Petroc Highcliffe
Polzeath
Wadebridge
Cornwall
PL27 6TN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-17
Last: 2025-07-03
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
FFORDE, Arthur William Brownlow→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2007-07-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COHEN, Arnold David→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-07-19 · resigned 2012-06-29
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2007-07-03 · resigned 2007-07-10
LANGAN, Stuart Brian→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2007-08-06 · resigned 2010-01-31
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-07-03 · resigned 2007-07-10
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (63 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-14
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-02-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-31
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-10-21
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-09-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-04