B. HOBSON (CONTRACTORS) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01166423 · ltd · incorporated 1974-04-10
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 38320
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 58). 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

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 11.5y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 11.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (57/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
109 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
5
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-07
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  2. 2026-01-07
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  3. 2026-01-07
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  4. 2026-01-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-12-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-11-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-01-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-08-04
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  9. 2022-08-04
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2022-08-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  11. 2022-08-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  12. 2021-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-04-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2020-01-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-11-19
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  16. 2019-11-18
    📄
    capital-cancellation-shares
    capital · SH06
  17. 2019-11-15
    📄
    capital-return-purchase-own-shares
    capital · SH03
  18. 2019-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-12-14
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  20. 2018-11-09
    ➖
    HOBSON, David Graham resigned
    director
  21. 2018-11-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
  22. 2018-09-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  23. 2018-09-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
  24. 2014-12-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Anne Hobson
  25. 2013-10-09
    ➖
    HOBSON, Anne resigned
    director
  26. 2006-10-30
    ➖
    HOBSON, Bryan resigned
    director
  27. 2006-10-30
    ➕
    HOBSON, David Graham appointed
    director
  28. 2005-11-30
    ➕
    HOBSON, Andrew John appointed
    secretary
  29. 2005-11-30
    ➕
    HOBSON, Andrew John appointed
    director
  30. 2005-11-30
    ➖
    HOBSON, Bryan resigned
    secretary
  31. 1974-04-10
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As B. HOBSON (CONTRACTORS) LIMITED

Owner dependency

100/100
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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HOBSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. 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 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 52 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

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 Andrew John Hobson
Individual · British · DOB 03/1968 · age 58
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control31/12/2016

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 →

Similar companies

Active · Energy & utilities · BL postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ACCRUE ENERGY LTD→
15863280 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ACF INTERNATIONAL LTD.→
01802810 · est 1984 · no financials extracted
————42y——
AH GROUNDWORKS & WASTE MANAGEMENT LTD→
16269437 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
AIONIS VENTURES LTD→
16607833 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
AO RECYCLING LIMITED→
05486613 · est 2005 · no financials extracted
————20y——
AQUA SERVICES (UK) LIMITED→
08562388 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————12y——
AVA SKIP HIRE LIMITED→
13919128 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————4y——
BELMONT RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LIMITED→
09718820 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————10y——
BENOLI SERVICES LIMITED→
15786483 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
BJZ GROUP LTD→
12756321 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
BLUEBIRDS LABOURING LTD→
15901527 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
BOLTON BREAKERS NORTH WEST LIMITED→
10320672 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
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
Incorporated1974-04-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC38320 — SIC 38320

Registered office

Lower Reservoir Gower Street
Farnworth
Bolton
BL4 7EY
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

HOBSON, Andrew John→
secretary · appointed 2005-11-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOBSON, Andrew John→
director · ~58y · appointed 2005-11-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOBSON, Bryan→
secretary · resigned 2005-11-30
Resigned
HOBSON, Anne→
director · ~85y · resigned 2013-10-09
Resigned
HOBSON, Bryan→
director · ~93y · resigned 2006-10-30
Resigned
HOBSON, David Graham→
director · ~58y · appointed 2006-10-30 · resigned 2018-11-09
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc UK Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property09/11/201804/08/2022
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc UK Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property21/09/201804/08/2022
satisfied
Anne Hobson
A registered charge1 property16/12/201427/09/2018

Recent filings (109 total)

change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-07
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-01-07
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-04
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-08-04
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-08-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-22