ACORN SIGNS (HOLDINGS) LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC296906 · ltd · incorporated 2006-02-09
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
£422.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 17.6y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 17.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
72 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
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
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 £422,449
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£3k
~ YoY
Net Worth
£422k
~ YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£84k£169k£253k£338k£422kJun 2024Jun 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-06-302024-06-30
Total assets£422.4k£422.4k
Cash£2.6k£2.6k
Net assets£422.4k£422.4k

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
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-11-28
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  4. 2024-03-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-04-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-06-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-05-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-03-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-01-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-04-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-03-23
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  12. 2017-03-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-09-08
    📄
    capital-return-purchase-own-shares
    capital · SH03
  14. 2016-08-31
    📄
    capital-cancellation-shares
    capital · SH06
  15. 2016-08-31
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  16. 2016-02-22
    ➖
    SCOTT, David Jonathan resigned
    director
  17. 2011-05-13
    ➖
    BERNARDI, Frank resigned
    director
  18. 2010-06-18
    ➕
    SCOTT, David Jonathan appointed
    director
  19. 2008-09-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  20. 2008-01-17
    ➖
    CAMERON, David John resigned
    director
  21. 2006-02-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACORN SIGNS (HOLDINGS) LTD.
  22. 2006-02-09
    ➕
    MACLENNAN, Fiona appointed
    secretary
  23. 2006-02-09
    ➕
    GOODWIN, Jamie Stuart appointed
    director
  24. 2006-02-09
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2006-02-09
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2006-02-09
    ➕
    BERNARDI, Frank appointed
    director
  27. 2006-02-09
    ➕
    CAMERON, David John appointed
    director
  28. 2006-02-09
    ➕
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  29. 2006-02-09
    ➖
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

85/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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

clean
No 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Jamie Stuart Goodwin
Individual · British · DOB 11/1970 · age 56
50–75%
—50-75% shares06/04/2016
Mrs Michelle Goodwin
Individual · British · DOB 08/1974 · age 52
25–50%
—25-50% shares26/07/2016

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 →

Similar companies

Active · Professional services · IV postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
BRYANT GROUP (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
SC175930 · est 1997 · no financials extracted
————28y——
C MOR MECHANICAL LTD→
SC719497 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————4y——
CAMERON CARNEGIE CONSULTING LTD→
SC436432 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
————13y——
CATOE/BROWN ARCHITECTURE & LANDSCAPE STUDIO LTD→
SC722472 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————4y——
CEEFOX LTD→
SC868727 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
CHISCOT LIMITED→
SC126291 · est 1990 · no financials extracted
————35y——
CLASHACH CONTROLS LTD→
SC515139 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————10y——
CMM ACCOUNTANCY (INVERNESS) LIMITED→
SC279223 · est 2005 · no financials extracted
————21y——
COLIN ARMSTRONG ARCHITECTS LTD→
SC530753 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————10y——
COOCOO CAMPERS LTD→
SC844313 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
COSMIC LATTE LTD→
SC776773 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
CRAIG WOOD SOLICITORS LTD→
SC483355 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————11y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 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
Incorporated2006-02-09
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices

Registered office

Units 1-2 42 Harbour Road
Inverness
IV1 1UF
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-23
Last: 2026-02-09

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

MACLENNAN, Fiona→
secretary · appointed 2006-02-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GOODWIN, Jamie Stuart→
director · ~56y · appointed 2006-02-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2006-02-09 · resigned 2006-02-09
Resigned
BERNARDI, Frank→
director · ~79y · appointed 2006-02-09 · resigned 2011-05-13
Resigned
CAMERON, David John→
director · ~84y · appointed 2006-02-09 · resigned 2008-01-17
Resigned
SCOTT, David Jonathan→
director · ~54y · appointed 2010-06-18 · resigned 2016-02-22
Resigned
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2006-02-09 · resigned 2006-02-09
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property01/09/2008—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (72 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-10
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-16