ACQUA SYSTEMS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
11481103 · ltd · incorporated 2018-07-24
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 5.4y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 5.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
27 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
82
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £286.0k |
| Current assets | — | £243.7k |
| Debtors | — | £39.4k |
| Net assets | — | £-21.7k |
| Average employees | 700 | — |
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
3
filings
- • 2 gazette
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-12-03📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2025-12-02📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2025-04-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-04-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-11-21🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust LTD
- 2024-10-11📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-10-10🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Art Share (Social Help Association for Reinvesting in Enterprise) Limited
- 2024-10-01📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-10-01🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2023-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-08-25🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Tallaght Financial LTD
- 2023-04-25📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-04📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-01-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-12-31🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
- 2020-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-07-24🏢Company incorporatedAs ACQUA SYSTEMS LIMITED
- 2018-07-24➕MARTIN, Jonathan Terence appointeddirector
Owner dependency
88/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 8 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
55/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
1 lowMultiple registered office changes
lowMultiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Jonathan Terence Martin Individual · British · DOB 01/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 24/07/2018 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Retail · OX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10SHOP LTD→ 16566820 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1HYDE LTD→ 14499961 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 2001 PRODUCTS LTD→ 13987321 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 3 FLAVOURS SEAFOOD LTD→ 15785572 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 360 DIGITAL MEDIA LTD→ 16388835 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A G CURTAIN DESIGN LIMITED→ 07938673 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AARONAAHRYA LIMITED→ 15899991 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACHET TRADING LTD→ 16424570 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACKERMAN & NIECE LIMITED→ 04392991 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| ACORN INTERNET LTD→ 05485473 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ACQUA COIR LIMITED→ 11693859 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACQUA PLANTS LIMITED→ 15369208 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated2018-07-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47990 — Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets
Registered office
55 Bloxham Road
Banbury
OX16 9JS
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-06
Last: 2025-07-23
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
MARTIN, Jonathan Terence→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2018-07-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust LTD | A registered charge | — | 21/11/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Art Share (Social Help Association for Reinvesting in Enterprise) Art Share (Social Help Association for Reinvesting in Enterprise) Limited | A registered charge | — | 10/10/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Tallaght Financial Tallaght Financial LTD | A registered charge | — | 25/08/2023 | 01/10/2024 | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111) | A registered charge | — | 31/12/2020 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (27 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-09
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2025-12-03
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2025-12-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-13
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-04-27
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-04-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-23
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-11-25
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-10-11
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-09-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-10
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-04-25