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Guides

How to Spot an Acquisition Target: The 9 Signals That Reveal an Attractive Deal

Most acquisition search processes fail in the same way: too many targets, too little filtering, and the wrong ones answer the phone. Plimsoll's 9-point Acquisition Score flips the process. Nine criteria, one tick each, ranking an entire industry by acquisition appeal in a single comparable number. Here's what each signal means and why it matters.

David Pattison · 10 min read

About Plimsoll

How to Spot a Company in Trouble, Before the Headlines

Carillion didn't fail overnight. Neither did Thomas Cook, Wilko or Bulb Energy. In every case, the warning signs were in the accounts two or three years before the headlines. Here are the eight financial signals the Plimsoll Model uses to flag corporate distress early,and how to read them in any set of accounts.

Kevin Solomon · 7 min read

News

10 UK Industries Making Headlines in 2026: The Boom-and-Bust League Table

The British economy isn't one story — it's hundreds. We screened 1600 UK industries by four-year sales growth and pulled out the ten making the biggest headlines in 2026. Five are booming, five are in serious trouble, and the contrast tells you exactly where money is moving right now.

Chris Evans · 8 min read

News

British Businesses in Financial Trouble: Why 1 in 3 UK Companies Are Now at Risk

The latest Plimsoll analysis, drawn from five years of filed accounts at Companies House, rates 38% of British businesses as being in financial Danger, up from 34% the year before. Behind that single number is a more uncomfortable story: size is no longer a safety net. Among UK firms holding £50 million or more in assets, the Danger rate climbs to 41%. The companies most people assume are too big to fail are, in fact, over-represented among those closest to it.

Chris Evans · 4 min read

Recent spikes in insolvencies might be the tip of the iceberg

Chris Evans · 3 min read

Avoiding the Biggest Acquisition Mistakes in 2026

Chris Evans · 2 min read