B.J. FENNELL LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01071272 · ltd · incorporated 1972-09-12
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
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Turnover
year to May 2025
Net worth
£171.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-life reinsurance
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 6 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

6 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 47.0y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 47.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
100 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
77
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 £171,049
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,473 YoY
Cash YoY
+6362%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£354k
↑ 6362% YoY
Net Worth
£171k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£519k
↑ 245% YoY
Current Liabilities
£0£104k£208k£311k£415k£519kMay 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Total assets£200.8k£206.8k
Current assets£519.2k£150.3k
Cash£354.1k£5.5k
Debtors£165.1k£144.9k
Net assets£171.0k£172.5k

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 (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-08-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-03-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-05
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  6. 2022-05-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-04-26
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  8. 2021-05-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-05-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  13. 2017-05-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  14. 2017-05-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  15. 2017-05-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  16. 2017-05-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  17. 2017-05-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  18. 2017-05-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  19. 2017-05-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  20. 2017-05-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  21. 2017-05-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  22. 2009-11-30
    FENNELL, Elsie Caroline resigned
    secretary
  23. 2009-11-30
    FENNELL, Brian John Naydin resigned
    director
  24. 2009-11-30
    FENNELL, Elsie Caroline resigned
    director
  25. 1993-07-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC.
  26. 1989-11-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Northern Rock Building Society
  27. 1988-05-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Nationwide Anglia Building Society
  28. 1985-06-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Nationwide Building Society.
  29. 1980-10-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  30. 1979-05-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Nationwide Building Society
  31. 1972-09-12
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As B.J. FENNELL LIMITED

Owner dependency

83/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

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

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.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 54 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Roy Steven Marshall
Individual · British · DOB 09/1964 · age 62
75100%
75-100% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1972-09-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC65202 — Non-life reinsurance

Registered office

85 Market Street
Pocklington
York
YO42 2AE

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-08
Last: 2025-10-25

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

MARSHALL, Roy Steven
director · ~62y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FENNELL, Elsie Caroline
secretary · resigned 2009-11-30
Resigned
FENNELL, Brian John Naydin
director · ~88y · resigned 2009-11-30
Resigned
FENNELL, Elsie Caroline
director · ~89y · resigned 2009-11-30
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

6
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank .
National Westminster Bank PLC.
Mortgage debenture.1 property27/07/1993
satisfied
Northern Rock Building Society
Mortgage deed1 property22/11/198905/05/2017
satisfied
Nationwide Anglia Building Society
Legal charge1 property23/05/198805/05/2017
satisfied
Nationwide
Nationwide Building Society.
Legal charge1 property21/06/198505/05/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property06/10/198005/05/2017
satisfied
Nationwide
Nationwide Building Society
Legal charge1 property24/05/197905/05/2017
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (100 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-08
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-05-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-04
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-28