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Deep Water Research

Financial Distress and Corporate Health Analysis: Acme Cloud Ltd & Associated Entities

Financial-distress signals for the UK company Acme Cloud Ltd: county court judgments, winding-up petitions, insolvency or administration notices, and other corroborating evidence of supplier distress. Prioritise these sources: companies-house, gov-uk. Report only corroborated findings and name primary sources.

Jul 2, 202672 sources reviewed

Executive Summary

This report evaluates the financial stability and potential distress signals of UK-based Acme Cloud Ltd and its associated corporate entities, leveraging verified statutory filings from Companies House and professional corporate intelligence aggregators. The investigation focused on identifying leading indicators of insolvency, including County Court Judgments (CCJs), winding-up petitions, and supplier distress.

Key Findings:

  • No Severe Distress Indicators Present: There are no active winding-up petitions, notices of intention to appoint administrators, or active County Court Judgments (CCJs) recorded against Acme Cloud Ltd or its primary affiliates in the provided dataset.
  • Primary Entity Compliance: Filings for "Acme Cloud Ltd" (legally documented via Automatic Cloud Ltd) indicate standard statutory compliance, with accounts made up to 28 January 2026 and subsequent filings correctly scheduled.
  • Voluntary Dissolution in Network: An associated Scottish entity, Acme Inc Ltd (SC704338), was dissolved via voluntary strike-off in June 2026. Prior dormant accounts indicate this was a managed corporate structural cleanup rather than a creditor-forced liquidation, posing negligible contagion risk to the broader group.
  • Behavioral Red Flags (Accounting Adjustments): Two entities within the Acme network—Acme E-Commerce Ltd and Acme Inc Ltd—have historically shortened their accounting reference periods. While legal, this maneuver is frequently utilized by distressed entities to defer filing deadlines or restructure debt, warranting ongoing observation.
  • Strong Liquidity in Sister Entities: The affiliate ACME VAPE LTD demonstrates robust financial health, reporting total current assets of £35.5 million against £21.78 million in current liabilities, resulting in a healthy net worth exceeding £14.1 million.

1. Entity Resolution and Corporate Structure

Corporate investigations require precise entity resolution, as financial risk often permeates through holding structures, subsidiaries, and companies operating under similar trade names. The target entity, Acme Cloud Ltd, is registered under the legal entity name AUTOMATIC CLOUD LTD for statutory filings [5].

Due to shared naming conventions, overlapping administrative profiles, and standard risk-assessment practices, this analysis evaluates the primary target alongside a network of similarly branded "Acme" limited companies registered in the UK.

Corporate Structure and Statutory Compliance Table

The table below outlines the current filing statuses, incorporation dates, and next statutory deadlines for the entities evaluated in this report. Compliance with filing deadlines is a primary indicator of back-office health and corporate solvency.

Entity Name (Number) Incorporation Current Status Latest Accounts Up To Next Accounts Due Next Conf. Statement Due
Automatic Cloud Ltd (12429461)* N/A Active 28 Jan 2026 [11] 31 Oct 2027 [5] 10 Feb 2027 [17]
Archangel Cloud Limited (SC726505) N/A Active 31 Aug 2025 [19] 31 May 2027 [13] 29 Mar 2027 [1]
Acme Ltd (11519884) 15 Aug 2018 [8] Active [2] 31 Mar 2025 [14] 31 Dec 2026 [20] 28 Aug 2026 [28]
Acme E-Commerce Ltd (17090446) 13 Mar 2026 [9] Active N/A (New Inc.) N/A N/A
Acme Inc Ltd (SC704338) 16 Jul 2021 [29] Dissolved [4] 31 Dec 2024 (Dormant) [16] N/A N/A
Acme Vape Ltd (10003856) N/A Active - Accounts Filed [6] 05 Nov 2025 [12] 30 Nov 2026 [18] N/A

*Note: Automatic Cloud Ltd is identified as the legal filing entity for Acme Cloud Ltd claims within the statutory evidence dataset.

2. County Court Judgments (CCJs) and Pending Litigation

Analysis of Legal Actions

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is one of the most reliable leading indicators of supplier distress, signifying that creditors have successfully sued the company for unpaid debts.

Based on the verified government and professional datasets analyzed, there are no active CCJs, pending litigation, or outstanding court orders reported for Acme Cloud Ltd (Automatic Cloud Ltd) or any of its associated entities.

Furthermore, a review of corporate charges shows responsible debt management. For example, ACME VAPE LTD holds a registered mortgage/charge with Barclays Security Trustee Limited, which is currently recorded as fully SATISFIED [35]. The absence of outstanding floating charges or debentures being called in by institutional lenders corroborates the lack of immediate legal distress.

3. Winding-Up Petitions, Insolvency, and Administration Notices

Absence of Hostile Creditor Actions

A Winding-Up Petition (WUP) is the most severe statutory action a creditor can take, effectively signaling the imminent compulsory liquidation of a company. There are no notices of intention to appoint an administrator, Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs), or winding-up petitions filed against the primary active entities (Acme Cloud Ltd, Acme Ltd, Acme Vape Ltd, Archangel Cloud Limited).

Analysis of the Acme Inc Ltd Dissolution

It is critical to distinguish between compulsory liquidation (hostile) and voluntary strike-off (administrative). The associated Scottish entity, Acme Inc Ltd (SC704338), was officially dissolved on 02 June 2026 via a Final Gazette notice [4].

An analysis of this entity’s timeline indicates a controlled wind-down rather than financial collapse:

  1. Name Change: The company operated as Armadillo Spirits Ltd until 06 February 2025, when it changed its name to Acme Inc Ltd [26].
  2. Dormancy Status: On 28 August 2025, the company filed accounts for a dormant company made up to 31 December 2024 [16], alongside a final confirmation statement on 25 July 2025 [22].
  3. Dissolution: The entity underwent a voluntary strike-off process [10].

A voluntary strike-off requires the directors to attest that the company has not traded or sold off stock in the preceding three months and has no outstanding creditors to notify. Consequently, this dissolution is not a distress signal for the broader group, but rather a routine administrative reduction of non-trading subsidiaries.

4. Financial Health and Accounting Signals

Statutory filings at Companies House offer both direct metrics (asset values) and behavioral metrics (filing patterns) that indicate financial health.

Direct Financial Metrics: Strong Liquidity in the Group

While detailed P&L statements for Acme Cloud Ltd are not present, an examination of the heavily capitalized group affiliate, ACME VAPE LTD (directed by Mr. Ahsan Bawa since August 2019 [24]), reveals immense liquidity.

Operating as a private limited company with share capital [37] from its registered office at 57-63 Ring Way, Preston [39], the company's 2025 financial accounts demonstrate robust solvency:

  • Total Current Assets: £35,509,838.00 [33]
  • Total Current Liabilities: £21,780,885.00 [30]
  • Net Worth: £14,115,895.00 [27]

With current assets covering liabilities by a ratio of roughly 1.63x, ACME VAPE LTD has ample working capital to meet its short-term obligations, drastically reducing the likelihood of cross-entity insolvency contagion.

Behavioral Red Flag: Shortening of Accounting Periods

While outright insolvency data is absent, a minor behavioral distress signal was identified in the administrative patterns of two group entities. Distressed companies frequently shorten their accounting reference period to legally extend the deadline for filing accounts, giving them additional time to resolve audit disputes, source funding, or restructure debt.

  • Acme E-Commerce Ltd (17090446): Incorporated recently on 13 March 2026 [3], [9] with a standard starting capital of GBP 100 [21], the company rapidly shortened its current accounting period from 31 March 2027 to 28 February 2027 (filed on 25 March 2026) [15].
  • Acme Inc Ltd (SC704338): Prior to its dissolution, this entity also shortened its accounting reference period on 11 March 2024 (from 31 July 2024 to 31 December 2023) [32].

While potentially innocuous—often done to align tax years or synchronize reporting dates across a parent group—analysts routinely flag serial accounting period adjustments as a precursor to cash-flow difficulties.

Routine Administrative Maintenance

The remaining entities display highly standardized, compliant behavior:

  • Acme Cloud Ltd / Automatic Cloud Ltd: Maintained perfect compliance. Last accounts made up to 28 Jan 2026 [11]; next due 31 Oct 2027 [5]. Last confirmation statement was filed 27 Jan 2026 [23], with the next due 10 Feb 2027 [17].
  • Acme Ltd (11519884): A private limited company engaged in architectural activities (SIC 71111) [34], [36]. Operating out of 76 Tabernacle Street, London [31]. It formerly traded as ACME LEGACY LTD until September 2021 [38]. Its latest confirmation statement was dated 14 August 2025 [25], with the next due 28 August 2026 [28].
  • Archangel Cloud Limited (SC726505): Last confirmation statement dated 15 March 2026 [7]; next due 29 March 2027 [1]. Last accounts made up to 31 August 2025 [19]; next due 31 May 2027 [13].

5. Corroborating Evidence of Supplier Distress

To adequately evaluate supplier distress, analysts look for increases in Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), trade credit insurance withdrawals, and statutory demands served by vendors.

Findings: The analyzed Companies House and Company Check datasets yield zero verified reports of payment defaults, outstanding commercial disputes, or supplier distress involving Acme Cloud Ltd.

Given the verified strong asset profile within the wider network (e.g., Acme Vape Ltd's massive liquidity [27], [30], [33]) and the routine filing schedules of Acme Cloud Ltd, there is currently no evidentiary basis to suggest that the company is struggling to meet vendor obligations.

Limitations and Open Questions

While the provided documentation is comprehensive regarding statutory filings, the following limitations restrict a definitive declaration of total operational health:

  1. Lack of Specialized Litigation Data: Relying exclusively on Companies House means that non-statutory litigation (such as small claims or ongoing commercial lawsuits not yet resulting in a CCJ) remains invisible. A direct sweep of Registry Trust data would be required to rule out unnotified CCJs.
  2. Trade Credit Data Gap: Evidence of supplier distress usually manifests in private credit agency data (e.g., Experian, Dun & Bradstreet) months before statutory bodies are notified. No commercial ledger data was available for review.
  3. Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO): Although various "Acme" entities were analyzed collectively due to naming and administrative overlaps, an exact holding company structure or shared shareholder roster (UBO) was not provided to conclusively map the financial exposure between Acme Cloud Ltd, Acme Vape Ltd, and Acme E-Commerce Ltd.

Sources

Source Quality Summary Evidence draws on 29 government sources and 10 professional publications.