ACE FORWARDING LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC166831 · ltd · incorporated 1996-07-05
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 27.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£1.30M
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 53201
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), 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 (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 27.4y

70/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 27.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
9 officers (4 active, 9 linked, 6 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
9 connected companies via shared directors
72
Filing history
113 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
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,298,126
Cash YoY
+182%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£89k
↑ 182% YoY
Net Worth
£1.3m
↑ 15% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£260k£519k£779k£1.0m£1.3mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Cash£89.1k£31.6k
Net assets£1.30M£1.13M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

4 signals 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 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-07-06
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  5. 2022-10-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-09-01
    ➕
    LAWSON, David William appointed
    director
  7. 2022-07-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2022-07-08
    📄
    appoint-corporate-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP04
  9. 2022-07-08
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  10. 2022-07-08
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  11. 2022-07-07
    ➕
    STONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  12. 2022-07-07
    ➖
    JAMES AND GEORGE COLLIE LLP resigned
    corporate-secretary
  13. 2021-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2021-07-09
    ➖
    PATTERSON, Alan John Gunning resigned
    director
  15. 2021-07-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2021-01-14
    📄
    change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH04
  17. 2020-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-09-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-07-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2018-07-19
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  21. 2017-10-18
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  22. 2017-10-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  23. 2017-10-13
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  24. 2017-10-13
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  25. 2017-10-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  26. 2017-08-09
    ➕
    ARNOTT, Edward James appointed
    director
  27. 2015-08-28
    ➖
    BURNETT, Steven resigned
    director
  28. 2002-08-31
    ➖
    LAWSON, David William resigned
    director
  29. 2001-09-01
    ➕
    PATTERSON, Alan John Gunning appointed
    director
  30. 2001-05-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  31. 1998-12-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  32. 1997-07-06
    ➕
    BURNETT, Steven appointed
    director
  33. 1997-07-06
    ➕
    LAWSON, David William appointed
    director
  34. 1996-09-04
    ➕
    COBBAN, Terence Robert appointed
    director
  35. 1996-09-04
    ➖
    BONSQUARE NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director
  36. 1996-07-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACE FORWARDING LIMITED
  37. 1996-07-05
    ➕
    JAMES AND GEORGE COLLIE LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  38. 1996-07-05
    ➕
    BONSQUARE NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

68/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 30 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 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 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Terence Robert Cobban
Individual · British · DOB 04/1962 · age 64
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1996-07-05
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC53201 — SIC 53201

Registered office

28 Albyn Place
Aberdeen
AB10 1YL
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-19
Last: 2025-07-05

Officers (4 active · 5 resigned)

STONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2022-07-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ARNOTT, Edward James→
director · ~51y · appointed 2017-08-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COBBAN, Terence Robert→
director · ~64y · appointed 1996-09-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LAWSON, David William→
director · ~61y · appointed 2022-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JAMES AND GEORGE COLLIE LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1996-07-05 · resigned 2022-07-07
Resigned
BURNETT, Steven→
director · ~60y · appointed 1997-07-06 · resigned 2015-08-28
Resigned
LAWSON, David William→
director · ~61y · appointed 1997-07-06 · resigned 2002-08-31
Resigned
PATTERSON, Alan John Gunning→
director · ~75y · appointed 2001-09-01 · resigned 2021-07-09
Resigned
BONSQUARE NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 1996-07-05 · resigned 1996-09-04
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property13/10/2017—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
A registered charge—11/10/2017—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property18/05/200113/10/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property31/12/199813/10/2017
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (113 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-11
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-07-08
appoint-corporate-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP04
2022-07-08
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-07-08
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-12