ASHTON SMETHURST LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00313803 · ltd · incorporated 1936-05-05
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 79.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£565.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
69/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Security dealing on own account
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Special-situation opportunityDistressed financial-services with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.
Opportunity 69/100 (strong), bankability 55/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 94). Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
6 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 79.9y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 79.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
101 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
69/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
50
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
64
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £565,292
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£565k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£63k
↑ 76% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £565.3k | £559.7k |
| Current assets | £62.8k | £35.6k |
| Net assets | £565.3k | £559.7k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (34 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-03📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-02-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-02-03📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-11-20➖SMETHURST, John resigneddirector
- 2021-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-02-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-01-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-01-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2014-09-19➕SMETHURST, Alyson appointeddirector
- 2003-01-01➕SMETHURST, Audrey appointedsecretary
- 2003-01-01➕SMETHURST, Audrey appointeddirector
- 2002-12-21➖SMETHURST, Ian resignedsecretary
- 2002-11-21➖SMETHURST, Ian resigneddirector
- 2002-01-18➖COTTON, Robin Alexander resigneddirector
- 1996-04-01➕SMETHURST, Ian appointedsecretary
- 1996-04-01➕SMETHURST, Ian appointeddirector
- 1996-03-31➖SMETHURST, John resignedsecretary
- 1975-04-18🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1974-11-21🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1961-05-02🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1949-02-28🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Middleton Building Society
- 1949-02-28🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Middleton Building Society
- 1946-08-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1936-05-05🏢Company incorporatedAs ASHTON SMETHURST LIMITED
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SMETHURST" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 94 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
91/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 94 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 90 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high · 1 lowConfirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-01-14
6 live charges
lowHeavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Audrey Smethurst Individual · British · DOB 02/1932 · age 94 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Alyson Smethurst Individual · British · DOB 05/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr John Smethurstceased 20/11/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALIF GLOBAL LTD→ 14926991 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASHLEY LAW FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 10818154 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ASL MORTGAGES AND PROTECTION LTD→ 12313996 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ASPIRE + WEALTH MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 12119590 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ASSETUS LIMITED→ 16194923 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ASSETZ CAPITAL FUNDING LTD→ 14669696 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASSETZ CAPITAL LENDING (ALPHA) LIMITED→ 13220941 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASSETZ CAPITAL LENDING (BRAVO) LIMITED→ 14103605 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASSOCIATED BODYSHOP FACTORS LIMITED→ 05098842 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ASSOCIATED CREDITS LIMITED→ 00512745 · est 1952 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 73y | — | — |
| ASSURED CLAIMS LIMITED→ 14221181 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASSURED FINANCE LIMITED→ 12761253 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated1936-05-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64991 — Security dealing on own account
Registered office
43 Thornham Lane
Slattocks Middleton
Manchester
M24 2RE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-01-14OVERDUE
Last: 2024-12-31
Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)
Active
SMETHURST, Alyson→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2014-09-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMETHURST, Audrey→
Activedirector · ~94y · appointed 2003-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMETHURST, Ian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1996-04-01 · resigned 2002-12-21
SMETHURST, John→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1996-03-31
COTTON, Robin Alexander→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · resigned 2002-01-18
SMETHURST, Ian→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 1996-04-01 · resigned 2002-11-21
SMETHURST, John→
Resigneddirector · ~95y · resigned 2021-11-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
6
Total charges
6
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 18/04/1975 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 21/11/1974 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 02/05/1961 | — | |
| outstanding | Middleton Building Society | Legal charge | 1 property | 28/02/1949 | — | |
| outstanding | Middleton Building Society | Legal charge | 2 properties | 28/02/1949 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Deposit of deeds | 1 property | 30/08/1946 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (101 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-02-03
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-02-03
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-11-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-03-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-02-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-02-04