A. PENNINGTON (STRETFORD) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01431966 · ltd · incorporated 1979-06-21
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 May 2025
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: Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 69-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 69). 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

1 live charge · oldest 40.8y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 40.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 6 with DOB)
87
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
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 accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0May 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Average employees00

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-08-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-02-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-11-10
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  7. 2021-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-01-11
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  10. 2018-09-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-12-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2016-12-09
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  15. 2016-02-04
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2016-01-28
    ➕
    PENNINGTON, Joseph Askew appointed
    director
  17. 2016-01-28
    ➖
    PENNINGTON, Joseph Askew resigned
    secretary
  18. 2016-01-28
    ➖
    DENNIS, Anne resigned
    director
  19. 2016-01-28
    ➖
    PENNINGTON, Joseph Askew resigned
    director
  20. 2016-01-28
    ➖
    PENNINGTON, Matthew Norman resigned
    director
  21. 2015-12-09
    ➕
    DENNIS, Anne appointed
    director
  22. 2000-12-28
    ➖
    PENNINGTON, Matthew Norman resigned
    director
  23. 1999-03-02
    ➕
    PENNINGTON, Matthew Norman appointed
    director
  24. 1999-03-02
    ➕
    PENNINGTON, Matthew Norman appointed
    director
  25. 1999-03-02
    ➖
    PENNINGTON, Norman resigned
    director
  26. 1995-06-20
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  27. 1985-09-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  28. 1979-06-21
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A. PENNINGTON (STRETFORD) 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 "PENNINGTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 69 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 69. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Matthew Norman Pennington
Individual · British · DOB 04/1961 · age 65
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mr Joseph Askew Pennington
Individual · British · DOB 03/1957 · age 69
——sig. influencesignificant influence06/04/2016

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 · Wholesale & distribution · SK postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ADRIAN VICKERTON LIMITED→
05675368 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————20y——
ADSKI LTD→
14593557 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————3y——
ADVANCED ACCESSORIES LIMITED→
05000047 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
————22y——
ADVANTAGE CIVIL ENGINEERING SUPPLIES LIMITED→
03820875 · est 1999 · no financials extracted
————26y——
AER WHOLESALE LTD→
12663686 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
AK PRIME MOVE LIMITED→
17027214 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
AKS ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL LTD→
11410625 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
ALEXANDER PARKER LIMITED→
13539382 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
ALL 4 WALLS (EQUIPMENT) LTD→
11609850 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
ALLSKYMALL LIMITED→
15888998 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ALLWAYS TRADING 25 LTD→
16406200 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ALO MARKETING LIMITED→
16260171 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
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
Incorporated1979-06-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46310 — Wholesale of fruit and vegetables

Registered office

First Floor, Merchant Exchange
Waters Green
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK11 6JX
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

PENNINGTON, Joseph Askew→
director · ~69y · appointed 2016-01-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PENNINGTON, Joseph Askew→
secretary · resigned 2016-01-28
Resigned
DENNIS, Anne→
director · ~69y · appointed 2015-12-09 · resigned 2016-01-28
Resigned
PENNINGTON, Joseph Askew→
director · ~69y · resigned 2016-01-28
Resigned
PENNINGTON, Matthew Norman→
director · ~65y · appointed 1999-03-02 · resigned 2016-01-28
Resigned
PENNINGTON, Matthew Norman→
director · ~65y · appointed 1999-03-02 · resigned 2000-12-28
Resigned
PENNINGTON, Norman→
director · ~99y · resigned 1999-03-02
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property06/09/198520/06/1995

Recent filings (102 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-02-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-10-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-08-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-02-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-04
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-03