A.LANGHAM AND SONS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
00344549 · ltd · incorporated 1938-09-23
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 Aug 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45400
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 38.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 38.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
111 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 0 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
3 signals 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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-08➖GREY'S SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2023-02-08📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-05-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-05-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-06-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-06-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-09📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2017-05-09🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2006-10-13➖LANGHAM, Nathalie Jane resignedsecretary
- 2006-10-13➕GREY'S SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2003-09-26➕LANGHAM, Nathalie Jane appointedsecretary
- 2003-09-26➖LANGHAM, Philip Geoffrey resignedsecretary
- 2003-09-02➖BAGSHAW, Graham resigneddirector
- 1994-10-12➖BAGSHAW, Vincent resigneddirector
- 1993-01-27➕LANGHAM, Philip Geoffrey appointeddirector
- 1993-01-27➕BAGSHAW, Graham appointeddirector
- 1993-01-08➖LANGHAM, Geoffrey Arthur resignedsecretary
- 1993-01-08➕LANGHAM, Philip Geoffrey appointedsecretary
- 1993-01-08➖LANGHAM, Geoffrey Arthur resigneddirector
- 1988-05-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1938-09-23🏢Company incorporatedAs A.LANGHAM AND SONS 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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LANGHAM" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 33 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 88 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Philip Geoffrey Langham Individual · British · DOB 07/1964 · age 62 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · NG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A K R ELLIOTT FARM SERVICES LIMITED→ 04184421 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| A M B PORSCHE LIMITED→ 04782537 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A. ARMSTRONG AND SONS LTD→ 16836578 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A.L. MOTORCYCLES LIMITED→ 13708337 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AC13 LTD→ 15858985 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AC13 NOTTINGHAM LTD→ 14598461 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADVANCED MOTO MOTION LTD→ 15550292 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AF1 SERVICES LTD→ 11173795 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AFRICANA TRADING LTD→ 17104412 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AGRON & LANDI LIMITED→ 11639233 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AI TYRES LTD→ 16513209 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIM DIRECT LTD→ 16908575 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1938-09-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45400 — SIC 45400
Registered office
The Old Drill Hall 10 Arnot Hill Road
Arnold
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
NG5 6LJ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-18
Last: 2025-12-04
Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)
LANGHAM, Philip Geoffrey→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 1993-01-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LANGHAM, Geoffrey Arthur→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1993-01-08
LANGHAM, Nathalie Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-09-26 · resigned 2006-10-13
LANGHAM, Philip Geoffrey→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1993-01-08 · resigned 2003-09-26
GREY'S SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2006-10-13 · resigned 2023-02-08
BAGSHAW, Graham→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · appointed 1993-01-27 · resigned 2003-09-02
BAGSHAW, Vincent→
Resigneddirector · ~104y · resigned 1994-10-12
LANGHAM, Geoffrey Arthur→
Resigneddirector · ~94y · resigned 1993-01-08
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 05/05/1988 | 09/05/2017 |
Recent filings (111 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-31
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-02-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-05-07
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-05-07
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-05-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-11