ACER TELECOM LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
07493738 · ltd · incorporated 2011-01-14
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£433
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other telecommunications activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). 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 (78/100)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
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
48 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
82
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £433
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£2k
Net Worth
£433
↑ 121% YoY
Current Assets
£21k
↓ 18% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £433 | £196 |
| Current assets | £20.8k | £25.3k |
| Cash | £2.4k | — |
| Net assets | £433 | £196 |
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 (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-04-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-01-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-10-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-10-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-10-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-10-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-10-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-04-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-21📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2011-01-14🏢Company incorporatedAs ACER TELECOM LIMITED
- 2011-01-14➕LEIGHTON, Andrew appointeddirector
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 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 15 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
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 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 15 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
1 lowMultiple registered office changes
lowMultiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Leighton Individual · British · DOB 12/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Gill Leighton Individual · British · DOB 03/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138 CONSULTING LTD→ 16819272 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A D T SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 02807519 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | — | — |
| A&E ACCESSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENT CIC→ 16215727 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABSOLUTELY PURE AND WHOLESOME LTD→ 16644687 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACADEMICHECK LTD→ 16680850 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCESSPOINT365 LIMITED→ 16667838 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCOMPLYST LTD→ 16794454 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACDC PRODUCTIONS LIMITED→ 09793627 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACTIV8 INFORMATION SECURITY LIMITED→ 07346729 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ACTIVE AC LIMITED→ 11560855 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACTIVITY CLOUD LTD→ 08277142 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ADA-REBORN LIMITED→ 17083158 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-01-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC61900 — Other telecommunications activities
Registered office
B7 Kestrel Court Harbour Road
Portishead
Bristol
Somerset
BS20 7AN
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-27
Last: 2026-01-13
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
LEIGHTON, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2011-01-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (48 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-06
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-03-12
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-10-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-10-30
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-10-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-10-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-28