ACORN CLEANING EQUIPMENT LTD
🌳Matureactive
08006388 · ltd · incorporated 2012-03-26
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 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
30 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · IFRS| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-06📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2015-04-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-03-26🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN CLEANING EQUIPMENT LTD
- 2012-03-26➕HICKS, Nicola Jane appointeddirector
- 2012-03-26➕HICKS, Richard Ashley appointeddirector
Owner dependency
71/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial 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.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
49/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- 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 Richard Ashley Hicks Individual · British · DOB 12/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/04/2019 |
Mrs Nicola Jane Hicks Individual · British · DOB 06/1976 · age 50 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 26/03/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2CEEGOLD AND ACCESSORIES LTD→ 15660252 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 365 VEND LTD→ 12873770 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 4TS GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED→ 16239637 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 5 STAR CARPETS LIMITED→ 09438747 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| A HARRIS VILLAGE BUTCHERS LTD→ 12743315 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AAGHAAZ LTD→ 16827611 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AANSA HIJABS LTD→ 15040722 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AC TRADE SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 14765044 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACHIVO CIC→ 17065049 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACORN INTERNATIONAL LTD→ 13002030 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ACREV LTD→ 16284798 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACTIVE PAPER PRO LIMITED→ 14054736 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2012-03-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47789 — Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Registered office
Unit A1 Gledholt Business Park
Allen Row, Paddock
Huddersfield
HD1 4SB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last: 2026-04-16
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
HICKS, Nicola Jane→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2012-03-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HICKS, Richard Ashley→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2012-03-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (30 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-17
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-12-02