AALBERTS SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
00961458 · ltd · incorporated 1969-09-04
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£10.78M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Treatment and coating of metals
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 66). 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

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 32.4y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 32.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
32 officers (2 active, 32 linked, 22 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
181 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 £10,777,169
Cash YoY
-2%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£750
↓ 2.0% YoY
Net Worth
£11m
↑ 13% YoY
Current Assets
£2.7m
↓ 79% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£2.6m£5.2m£7.8m£10m£13mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£11.28M£9.95M
Current assets£2.70M£13.05M
Cash£750£765
Debtors£2.43M£12.83M
Net assets£10.78M£9.53M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (80 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-04-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-02
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  4. 2024-01-08
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  5. 2023-07-19
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  6. 2023-07-19
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  7. 2023-06-27
    ➕
    CARESS, Paul Stuart appointed
    secretary
  8. 2023-06-27
    ➖
    BOSLEY, Steven John resigned
    secretary
  9. 2023-06-27
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  10. 2023-06-27
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  11. 2023-06-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2023-01-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-11-10
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  14. 2021-11-08
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  15. 2021-11-08
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  16. 2021-11-05
    ➕
    BOSLEY, Steven John appointed
    secretary
  17. 2021-11-05
    ➖
    COUGHLAN, Denise resigned
    secretary
  18. 2021-10-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  19. 2021-10-18
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  20. 2021-10-18
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  21. 2021-10-18
    📄
    legacy
    other · AGREEMENT2
  22. 2021-03-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  23. 2021-03-25
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  24. 2021-03-08
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  25. 2019-01-14
    ➖
    SAUER, Hartmut Wilhelm, Dr resigned
    director
  26. 2018-12-31
    ➖
    COX, David resigned
    director
  27. 2018-09-24
    ➕
    COX, David appointed
    director
  28. 2018-09-01
    ➕
    BROWN, Paul Trevor appointed
    director
  29. 2018-09-01
    ➖
    COX, David resigned
    director
  30. 2016-10-31
    ➖
    JAEGER, Oliver resigned
    director
  31. 2016-10-31
    ➕
    SAUER, Hartmut Wilhelm, Dr appointed
    director
  32. 2011-07-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
  33. 2011-02-23
    ➖
    NOLTE, Helmut resigned
    director
  34. 2010-01-01
    ➕
    COX, David appointed
    director
  35. 2009-10-01
    ➕
    COUGHLAN, Denise appointed
    secretary
  36. 2009-09-30
    ➖
    DUNCALF, Nicholas John resigned
    secretary
  37. 2009-09-30
    ➖
    DELL, Stephen John resigned
    director
  38. 2009-09-30
    ➖
    DUNCALF, Nicholas John resigned
    director
  39. 2009-03-06
    ➕
    JAEGER, Oliver appointed
    director
  40. 2009-03-06
    ➖
    KOPP, Peter resigned
    director
  41. 2007-08-13
    ➕
    DELL, Stephen John appointed
    director
  42. 2007-08-12
    ➖
    STAINES, Anthony Martin, Doctor resigned
    director
  43. 2005-06-06
    ➕
    DUNCALF, Nicholas John appointed
    secretary
  44. 2005-06-06
    ➖
    POLLAK, David Arthur resigned
    secretary
  45. 2005-06-06
    ➕
    DUNCALF, Nicholas John appointed
    director
  46. 2004-09-01
    ➕
    POLLAK, David Arthur appointed
    secretary
  47. 2004-08-10
    ➖
    KNIGHTS, John Ivan resigned
    secretary
  48. 2004-08-10
    ➖
    KNIGHTS, John Ivan resigned
    director
  49. 2004-01-29
    ➕
    KNIGHTS, John Ivan appointed
    secretary
  50. 2004-01-29
    ➖
    COX, David James resigned
    director
Showing most recent 50 of 80 events

Owner dependency

90/100
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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Aalberts U.K. Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Aalberts U.K. Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
AALBERTS SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
This company · 00961458

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Aalberts U.K. Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated1969-09-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25610 — Treatment and coating of metals

Registered office

Field Industrial Estate Clover Street
Kirkby-In-Ashfield
Nottingham
NG17 7LJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-21
Last: 2026-02-07

Officers (2 active · 30 resigned)

CARESS, Paul Stuart→
secretary · appointed 2023-06-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BROWN, Paul Trevor→
director · ~66y · appointed 2018-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ARCHER, William Richard Valentine→
secretary · appointed 1993-10-27 · resigned 1994-01-25
Resigned
BOSLEY, Steven John→
secretary · appointed 2021-11-05 · resigned 2023-06-27
Resigned
CHISHOLM, Brian Rodney→
secretary · resigned 1993-10-27
Resigned
COUGHLAN, Denise→
secretary · appointed 2009-10-01 · resigned 2021-11-05
Resigned
COX, David James→
secretary · appointed 1994-01-25 · resigned 1999-03-25
Resigned
DUNCALF, Nicholas John→
secretary · appointed 2005-06-06 · resigned 2009-09-30
Resigned
GRAY, Richard John→
secretary · appointed 1999-03-05 · resigned 2004-01-28
Resigned
KNIGHTS, John Ivan→
secretary · appointed 2004-01-29 · resigned 2004-08-10
Resigned
POLLAK, David Arthur→
secretary · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2005-06-06
Resigned
BROWN, Paul Trevor→
director · ~66y · appointed 1996-08-01 · resigned 2004-01-28
Resigned
CHISHOLM, Brian Rodney→
director · ~81y · resigned 1993-11-30
Resigned
COX, David→
director · ~71y · appointed 2018-09-24 · resigned 2018-12-31
Resigned
COX, David→
director · ~71y · appointed 2010-01-01 · resigned 2018-09-01
Resigned
COX, David James→
director · ~71y · resigned 2004-01-29
Resigned
DELL, Stephen John→
director · ~61y · appointed 2007-08-13 · resigned 2009-09-30
Resigned
DUNCALF, Nicholas John→
director · ~70y · appointed 2005-06-06 · resigned 2009-09-30
Resigned
GILLETT, Michael Charles→
director · ~73y · appointed 1994-01-25 · resigned 1996-10-31
Resigned
GRAY, Richard John→
director · ~71y · appointed 1998-11-19 · resigned 2004-01-28
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
Deed of admission to an omnibus guarantee and set-off agreement1 property14/07/201119/07/2023
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property25/01/199418/12/2003

Recent filings (181 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2025-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-10
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-03-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-12
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-01-08
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-07-19
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-06-27
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2023-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-15
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-11-10