WORKTOWN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01376231 · ltd · incorporated 1978-06-30
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 Sept 2025
Net worth
£50
book net assets
Opportunity
67/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 67/100 (strong), bankability 47/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 85). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. 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 (53/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

21 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 46.2y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 46.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · 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
21 charges (21/21 with lender, 21/21 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
153 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
67/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
50
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
56
Some moderate concerns — review 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 £50
Very low cash
Cash position: £50
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£50
~ YoY
Net Worth
£50
~ YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£10£20£30£40£50Sept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-30
Total assets£50£50
Cash£50£50
Net assets£50£50

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 gazette
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 2 gazette
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (63 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2026-04-25
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  3. 2026-04-14
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  4. 2025-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-06-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-12-30
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  8. 2022-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-11-29
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  10. 2021-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-07-13
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  12. 2020-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-01-11
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2019-01-11
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  16. 2018-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2015-04-21
    ➖
    DICKSON, Maureen Sarah resigned
    director
  19. 2000-08-01
    ➕
    DICKSON, John Park appointed
    secretary
  20. 2000-08-01
    ➖
    DICKSON, Andrew John Edward resigned
    secretary
  21. 2000-08-01
    ➖
    DICKSON, Jonathan Henderson resigned
    director
  22. 2000-08-01
    ➖
    DICKSON, Richard James Maxwell resigned
    director
  23. 1994-11-01
    ➕
    DICKSON, John Park appointed
    director
  24. 1994-11-01
    ➕
    DICKSON, Maureen Sarah appointed
    director
  25. 1994-09-06
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #18
  26. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #21
  27. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #20
  28. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #19
  29. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #17
  30. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #16
  31. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #13
  32. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #12
  33. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  34. 1994-05-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  35. 1994-03-01
    ➕
    DICKSON, Andrew John Edward appointed
    secretary
  36. 1994-03-01
    ➖
    DICKSON, Jonathan Henderson resigned
    secretary
  37. 1993-07-20
    ➖
    COLES, John Robert resigned
    director
  38. 1992-11-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #21
    Lender: Close Brothers Limited
  39. 1992-01-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #20
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  40. 1991-12-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #19
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  41. 1991-04-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #18
    Lender: Ulster Bank Limited
  42. 1989-08-08
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  43. 1989-07-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #17
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  44. 1989-07-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #16
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  45. 1989-03-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #15
  46. 1989-03-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #14
  47. 1989-03-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #10
  48. 1985-03-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #15
    Lender: Ulster Bank Limited
  49. 1985-03-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #14
    Lender: Ulster Bank Limited
  50. 1985-03-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #13
    Lender: Ulster Bank Limited
Showing most recent 50 of 63 events

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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 85 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 85 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 48 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 high · 1 med · 1 low
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-01-12

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.

7 live charges
low

Heavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.

Group structure

Strandtown Limited holds majority control (50-75%). Likely parent but not wholly-owned.

🏛️
Strandtown Limited
Corporate parent · holds 50-75% shares
majority
⬇
WORKTOWN LIMITED
This company · 01376231

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

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Strandtown Limited
Corporate entity
50–75%
50–75%50-75% shares · 50-75% voting06/04/2016

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

10 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
Incorporated1978-06-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Highland House Mayflower Close
Chandler's Ford
Eastleigh
Hampshire
SO53 4AR

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-01-12OVERDUE
Last: 2024-12-29

Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)

DICKSON, John Park→
secretary · appointed 2000-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DICKSON, John Park→
director · ~85y · appointed 1994-11-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DICKSON, Andrew John Edward→
secretary · appointed 1994-03-01 · resigned 2000-08-01
Resigned
DICKSON, Jonathan Henderson→
secretary · resigned 1994-03-01
Resigned
COLES, John Robert→
director · ~80y · resigned 1993-07-20
Resigned
DICKSON, Jonathan Henderson→
director · ~61y · resigned 2000-08-01
Resigned
DICKSON, Maureen Sarah→
director · ~82y · appointed 1994-11-01 · resigned 2015-04-21
Resigned
DICKSON, Richard James Maxwell→
director · ~58y · resigned 2000-08-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

21
Total charges
7
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:21 of 21 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Close Brothers
Close Brothers Limited
Credit agreement1 property20/11/199214/05/1994
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Sub-mortgage1 property31/01/199214/05/1994
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee and debenture1 property13/12/199114/05/1994
satisfied
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal mortgage2 properties22/04/199106/09/1994
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property25/07/198914/05/1994
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property25/07/198914/05/1994
satisfied
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property13/03/198507/03/1989
satisfied
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property13/03/198507/03/1989
satisfied
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property13/03/198514/05/1994
satisfied
Norwich General Trust
Norwich General Trust Limited
Further legal charge1 property27/04/198414/05/1994
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property01/11/1983—
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property19/10/198307/03/1989
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Legal charge1 property22/09/1983—
satisfied
Dorwich General Trust
Dorwich General Trust Limited
Legal charge1 property30/03/198308/08/1989
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Legal charge1 property29/03/1983—
outstanding
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property10/03/1983—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Legal charge1 property15/07/1982—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Legal charge1 property14/06/198214/05/1994
outstanding
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property05/04/1982—
satisfied
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal charge1 property27/01/198214/05/1994
outstanding
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited
Legal mortgage1 property22/05/1980—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (153 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-26
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2026-04-25
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2026-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-31
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-12-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-29
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-15