ACE ARBORICULTURE LTD
Opportunity 54/100 (worth a look), bankability 45/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (38/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2023-11-30 | 2022-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £138.5k | £212.7k |
| Current assets | £13.6k | £18.0k |
| Cash | £6.6k | £4.5k |
| Debtors | £7.0k | £13.5k |
| Net assets | £30.5k | £49.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-10-20📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-28📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-10-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-28📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2016-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-02-02🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE ARBORICULTURE LTD
- 2015-02-02➕FICKEN, Sean William appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +No director turnover: Company is 11 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
2 high ·Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.
Evidence: Next due: 2025-08-31
Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-02-16
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Sean William Ficken Individual · British · DOB 03/1969 · age 57 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 02/02/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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10 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
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