ACORN C LTD
🌳Matureactive
08210428 · ltd · incorporated 2012-09-11
Investment thesis
Unencumbered property vehicle — clean asset-backed target with refinance headroom.
Why interesting: Property-holding entity with no live charges; straightforward asset-backed case.
Why risky: Values depend on title and valuation; property-specific market exposure.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£513.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Development of building projects
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle 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. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -61% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
40 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £513,474
Net assets shrinking
Down £170,837 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 61% YoY
Cash YoY
-61%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£165k
↓ 61% YoY
Net Worth
£513k
↓ 25% YoY
Current Assets
£422k
↓ 35% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £559.4k | £727.0k |
| Current assets | £422.0k | £653.9k |
| Cash | £164.7k | £426.5k |
| Debtors | £257.3k | £227.4k |
| Net assets | £513.5k | £684.3k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-16📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-22📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-01-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-10-17📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2018-09-17➕MIDDLETON, Joanna appointeddirector
- 2018-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-07-31➖LEWIS, John Alun resigneddirector
- 2012-10-09➖MIDDLETON, Joanna resigneddirector
- 2012-09-11🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN C LTD
- 2012-09-11➕MIDDLETON, Shaun appointeddirector
- 2012-09-11➕LEWIS, John Alun appointeddirector
- 2012-09-11➕MIDDLETON, Joanna appointeddirector
Owner dependency
66/100
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Joanna Middleton Individual · British · DOB 08/1982 · age 44 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 17/09/2018 |
Mr Shaun Middleton Individual · British · DOB 04/1982 · age 44 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 11/09/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr John Alun Lewisceased 31/07/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · HR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A M PAVIER PLUMBING AND HEATING LIMITED→ 07589678 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| A PRICE STEEL ERECTION & CLADDING LTD→ 13422565 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABT LAND LTD→ 13640061 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACB ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 12454055 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACCESS FLOORS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED→ 07051550 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ACCORD DESIGN AND BUILD LIMITED→ 15140159 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACM DEVELOPMENTS (HEREFORD) LTD→ 11755049 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACQUIRE SAFETY LIMITED→ 10348223 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ACTIVE SECURITY UK LIMITED→ 04906739 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ADAMS BUILDING CONTRACTORS (HEREFORDSHIRE) LIMITED→ 08179186 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AEROBARRIER UK AND IRELAND LTD→ 15243249 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AES (LEDBURY) LIMITED→ 10926573 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-09-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41100 — Development of building projects
Registered office
Unit 2, Foley Works
Foley Trading Estate
Hereford
HR1 2SF
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-25
Last: 2025-09-11
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
MIDDLETON, Joanna→
Activedirector · ~44y · appointed 2018-09-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MIDDLETON, Shaun→
Activedirector · ~44y · appointed 2012-09-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LEWIS, John Alun→
Resigneddirector · ~40y · appointed 2012-09-11 · resigned 2018-07-31
MIDDLETON, Joanna→
Resigneddirector · ~44y · appointed 2012-09-11 · resigned 2012-10-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (40 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-09-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-09-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-09-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-09-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-09-16