B.S. ASHLEY LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
01286946 · ltd · incorporated 1976-11-18
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 Mar 2026
Net worth
£163.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 30990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 82-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 82). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · oldest 47.7y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 47.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
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
108 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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £163,458
Net assets shrinking
Down £81,352 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£163k
↓ 33% YoY
Current Assets
£165k
↓ 33% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2026-03-31 | 2025-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £163.5k | £244.8k |
| Current assets | £164.7k | £246.1k |
| Cash | — | £246.1k |
| Net assets | £163.5k | £244.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
4
filings
- • 2 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
6
filings
- • 3 officers
- • 2 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2026-05-14➖ASHLEY, Judith Ann resigneddirector
- 2026-05-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-02-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-11📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-12-11📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-09-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-09-08🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2021-09-08🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2021-03-30➖ASHLEY, John resigneddirector
- 2020-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-02➕ASHLEY, John appointeddirector
- 1996-07-22🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1996-07-22🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1991-04-23🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1978-11-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1976-11-18🏢Company incorporatedAs B.S. ASHLEY 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 "ASHLEY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
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 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 50 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Brian Spencer Ashley Individual · British · DOB 05/1944 · age 82 | 25–50% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · WS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARKRITE FENCING MANUFACTURERS LIMITED→ 01145068 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| B & R (2005) LIMITED→ 00260132 · est 1931 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 94y | — | — |
| BARNFATHER WIRE (MIDLANDS) LIMITED→ 06437348 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BARNFATHER WIRE LIMITED→ 07030126 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| BLACK COUNTRY ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES LTD→ 13572157 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BLACK COUNTRY GLASS LTD→ 11100646 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BLOX MANUFACTURING LTD→ 13341742 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BLUE STAR FM LIMITED→ 10903062 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BNE (BOLT & NUT ENGINEERING) LIMITED→ 06836909 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| BNM (BOLT & NUT MANUFACTURING) LIMITED→ 06679940 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| BOB HEATH VISORS LIMITED→ 01372663 · est 1978 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 47y | — | — |
| BODECA LTD→ 11402309 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1976-11-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC30990 — SIC 30990
Registered office
136 Broadway North
Walsall
WS1 2QE
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-05
Last: 2026-05-22
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Active
Active
ASHLEY, John→
Resigneddirector · ~48y · appointed 2016-01-02 · resigned 2021-03-30
ASHLEY, Judith Ann→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · resigned 2026-05-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 22/07/1996 | 08/09/2021 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 22/07/1996 | 08/09/2021 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 23/04/1991 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 16/11/1978 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (108 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-05-14
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-23
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-12-11
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-12-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-25
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-01-25