BALLANTYNE EDWARDS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01425755 · ltd · incorporated 1979-06-05
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£4.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 57). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 41.2y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 41.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (72/100)

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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
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
117 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £4,465

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£4k
Current Assets
£91k
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-01-31
Total assets£11.1k
Current assets£91.3k
Net assets£4.5k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

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 (38 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-22
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AAMD
  3. 2024-11-22
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AAMD
  4. 2024-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-10-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-07-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  9. 2021-07-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2021-07-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2021-07-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  12. 2021-07-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  13. 2021-07-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  14. 2021-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2019-01-29
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AAMD
  17. 2018-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  18. 2017-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  19. 2017-05-02
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  20. 2010-02-17
    ➖
    WAKEFIELD, Simon Peter Anthony resigned
    director
  21. 2008-06-09
    ➖
    EDWARDS, Trevor Threlkeld resigned
    director
  22. 2004-05-28
    ➕
    EDWARDS, Matthew Bernard appointed
    secretary
  23. 2004-05-28
    ➖
    EDWARDS, Angela Margaret resigned
    secretary
  24. 2004-05-28
    ➖
    EDWARDS, Angela Margaret resigned
    director
  25. 2003-03-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  26. 2000-01-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Royal Bank Invoice Finance Limited
  27. 1999-10-05
    ➕
    EDWARDS, Matthew Bernard appointed
    director
  28. 1999-09-24
    ➕
    WAKEFIELD, Simon Peter Anthony appointed
    director
  29. 1999-02-23
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  30. 1996-08-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  31. 1996-08-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  32. 1996-06-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  33. 1996-06-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  34. 1993-03-05
    ➖
    WOOLLARD, Rodney James resigned
    director
  35. 1992-08-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  36. 1985-08-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  37. 1985-04-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  38. 1979-06-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BALLANTYNE EDWARDS 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 "EDWARDS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 47 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 Matthew Bernard Edwards
Individual · British · DOB 07/1969 · age 57
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% 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

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
Incorporated1979-06-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade

Registered office

C/O Brennan Herriott & Co
1 Blatchington Road
Hove
BN3 3YP
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-09
Last: 2026-04-25

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

EDWARDS, Matthew Bernard→
secretary · appointed 2004-05-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
EDWARDS, Matthew Bernard→
director · ~57y · appointed 1999-10-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
EDWARDS, Angela Margaret→
secretary · resigned 2004-05-28
Resigned
EDWARDS, Angela Margaret→
director · ~90y · resigned 2004-05-28
Resigned
EDWARDS, Trevor Threlkeld→
director · ~87y · resigned 2008-06-09
Resigned
WAKEFIELD, Simon Peter Anthony→
director · ~62y · appointed 1999-09-24 · resigned 2010-02-17
Resigned
WOOLLARD, Rodney James→
director · ~83y · resigned 1993-03-05
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property10/03/200315/07/2021
satisfied
Royal Bank Invoice Finance
Royal Bank Invoice Finance Limited
Fixed and floating charge1 property25/01/200015/07/2021
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property14/06/199615/07/2021
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/06/199623/02/1999
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property18/08/199202/08/1996
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property27/08/198502/08/1996
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property10/04/1985—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (117 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-25
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AAMD
2024-11-22
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AAMD
2024-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-22
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-07-15
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-07-15
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-07-15