A. & P.J. STEELS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
01315902 · ltd · incorporated 1977-06-02
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 24100
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 74). 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 · oldest 40.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 40.1 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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
102 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.
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 800 | 800 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-07-08📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-07-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-07-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-07-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-07-08🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2021-07-08🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2020-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-06📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2002-05-10➕KNIGHT, April Rose appointedsecretary
- 2002-05-10➖JONES, Philip George resignedsecretary
- 2002-05-10➖JONES, Joanna Susan resigneddirector
- 1994-04-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1992-10-21➕JONES, Joanna Susan appointeddirector
- 1992-10-20➖RUSHTON, Robert Alan resigneddirector
- 1986-05-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1977-06-02🏢Company incorporatedAs A. & P.J. STEELS LIMITED
Owner dependency
90/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 74 — 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 74 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 49 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Philip George Jones Individual · British · DOB 05/1952 · age 74 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Q. (CENTRAL) LIMITED→ 03353634 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| A.N.T. WELDING LIMITED→ 05365685 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| A&M HERITAGE OUTDOOR RETREATS LTD→ 15997053 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABC MARINE SERVICES LIMITED→ 06682691 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ABZI AUDIO ENGINEERING LTD→ 16796429 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCUGRIND LTD→ 10885300 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AJ AUTOMATION SERVICES LTD→ 16827861 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AKIRE LTD→ 14829552 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALEX & CLEMENT LIMITED→ 12685526 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ALLIANCE DOORS LIMITED→ 11582514 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ALPHAMATION LIMITED→ 01610382 · est 1982 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
| ALUMINIUM & PVC SPECIALIST LTD→ 14806503 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1977-06-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC24100 — SIC 24100
Registered office
Bromley Street
Lye
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY9 8HU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-07-03
Last: 2026-06-19
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
KNIGHT, April Rose→
Activesecretary · appointed 2002-05-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JONES, Philip George→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2002-05-10
JONES, Joanna Susan→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 1992-10-21 · resigned 2002-05-10
RUSHTON, Robert Alan→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · resigned 1992-10-20
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 29/04/1994 | 08/07/2021 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 08/05/1986 | 08/07/2021 |
Recent filings (102 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-07-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-06-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-07-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-07-08
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-07-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-07-08
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-07-08
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-07-08