A.J. MARSHALL (SPECIAL STEELS) LTD
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 33.9y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 33.9 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.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1500 | 1500 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 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
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-10-13📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-06-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-06-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-21📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-04-20📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-03-02➕MARSHALL, Blake appointeddirector
- 2021-03-02➖MARSHALL, Alan Vincent resigneddirector
- 2020-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-28➖DOBBINS, Stephen Paul resignedsecretary
- 2020-01-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-01-29➖MARSHALL, Pamela Ann resigneddirector
- 2004-12-06➖MARSHALL, James Sugden resigneddirector
- 1993-03-01➕DOBBINS, Stephen Paul appointedsecretary
- 1993-02-28➖MARSHALL, Pamela Ann resignedsecretary
- 1992-06-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1980-08-21🏢Company incorporatedAs A.J. MARSHALL (SPECIAL STEELS) LTD
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MARSHALL" — strong identity link between founder and business.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 46 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
A.J.Marshall (Holdings) Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A.J.Marshall (Holdings) Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 31/01/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage denbenture | 1 property | 24/06/1992 | — |