A-SAFE GROUP LTD
🌳Matureactive
01775353 · ltd · incorporated 1983-12-05
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£974.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 20160
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 10 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
14 live charges · 7 lenders · oldest 41.9y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 41.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 7 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 40/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
14 charges (14/14 with lender, 14/14 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 5 with DOB)
87
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
13 connected companies via shared directors
84
Filing history
187 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £974,873
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£975k
Current Assets
£44m
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £974.9k |
| Current assets | £43.55M |
| Net assets | £974.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 resolution
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (56 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-19📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-11-26📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-02📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-10-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-02📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2024-10-02📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-03-26✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2023-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-26📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-09-26📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-09-26📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-11📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-01-11📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-01-11📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2022-09-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-09-01📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-09-01🔓Charge satisfied #13
- 2022-08-31🔒Charge registered #14Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2022-03-01📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2022-02-23📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-02-23🔓Charge satisfied #8
- 2021-12-08🔓Charge satisfied #11
- 2019-09-24🔓Charge satisfied #12
- 2019-09-24🔓Charge satisfied #10
- 2019-09-24🔓Charge satisfied #9
- 2019-09-24🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2019-04-10🔒Charge registered #13Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2017-07-26🔒Charge registered #12Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2017-06-06➖SMITH, David Gerald resigneddirector
- 2017-06-06🔒Charge registered #11Lender: David Gerald Smith
- 2017-06-02➖SMITH, Julie Gloria resignedsecretary
- 2017-06-02➖SMITH, Julie Gloria resigneddirector
- 2015-09-04🔒Charge registered #10Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2013-03-27➕SMITH, James Richard appointeddirector
- 2013-03-27➕SMITH, Luke Thomas appointeddirector
- 2013-03-27➕SMITH, Julie Gloria appointeddirector
- 2011-08-09🔒Charge registered #9Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2009-10-13🔒Charge registered #8Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2009-09-16🔒Charge registered #7Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2008-08-01🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2008-08-01🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2007-03-21🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2006-03-14🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2006-03-14🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2000-04-17🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2000-04-17🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 1997-12-17🔒Charge registered #4Lender: David Gerald Smith
- 1997-11-17➖PICKARD, Neil Robert resigneddirector
Showing most recent 50 of 56 events
Owner dependency
66/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
59/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 42 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
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
A-Fax Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
A-Fax Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
A-SAFE GROUP LTD
This company · 01775353
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A-Fax Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/06/2017 |
Mr James Richard Smith Individual · British · DOB 02/1978 · age 48 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 31/12/2016 |
Mr Luke Thomas Smith Individual · British · DOB 01/1980 · age 46 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 31/12/2016 |
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 · Manufacturing · HX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 FORTY ONE LTD→ 06871848 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 3D WORKTOP SOLUTIONS LTD→ 07525811 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| A D PLASTIC SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 05770583 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| A-FAX LIMITED→ 10654711 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A-GUARD LTD→ 13081562 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A-SAFE GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 13955846 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A-SAFE HQ LTD→ 05407505 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AB ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS LTD→ 14346163 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABBACUS BLINDS LIMITED→ 05575311 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ABILITY WET ROOMS LTD→ 08911274 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ACE VAN CONVERSIONS LTD→ 17010599 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTIVE MAINTENANCE CALDERDALE LIMITED→ 14477740 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated1983-12-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC20160 — SIC 20160
Registered office
Habergham Works
Ainley Industrial Estate
Elland
West Yorkshire
HX5 9JP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last: 2026-03-17
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
SMITH, James Richard→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2013-03-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Luke Thomas→
Activedirector · ~46y · appointed 2013-03-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Julie Gloria→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2017-06-02
PICKARD, Neil Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~71y · appointed 1996-09-27 · resigned 1997-11-17
SMITH, David Gerald→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · resigned 2017-06-06
SMITH, Julie Gloria→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · appointed 2013-03-27 · resigned 2017-06-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
14
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:14 of 14 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 31/08/2022 | — | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/04/2019 | 01/09/2022 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 26/07/2017 | 24/09/2019 | |
| satisfied | David Gerald Smith | A registered charge | — | 06/06/2017 | 08/12/2021 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 04/09/2015 | 24/09/2019 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 09/08/2011 | 24/09/2019 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 13/10/2009 | 23/02/2022 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 16/09/2009 | 24/09/2019 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 17/04/2000 | 01/08/2008 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 2 properties | 17/04/2000 | 21/03/2007 | |
| satisfied | David Gerald Smith / Alan Davies Flint / Equity & Law (Trustees) / Julie Gloria Smith David Gerald Smith / Alan Davies Flint / Equity & Law (Trustees) Limited / Julie Gloria Smith | Legal charge | 2 properties | 17/12/1997 | 01/08/2008 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 14/04/1994 | 14/03/2006 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 20/08/1985 | 14/03/2006 | |
| satisfied | Investors in Industry . Investors in Industry PLC. | Debenture | 1 property | 10/07/1984 | 08/04/1993 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (187 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-26
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-12-19
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-17
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-10-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-10-02
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2024-10-02
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-10-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-26
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2024-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2023-09-26
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2023-09-26
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2023-09-26
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2023-09-26