ABACUS INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01912449 · ltd · incorporated 1985-05-09
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 20.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 52103SIC 52103
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 20.4y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (3 active, 10 linked, 6 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
143 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 accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 12 | 1200 |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-24📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-05-24📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-05-24📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2022-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-29➕EARLE, Melissa Gail appointedsecretary
- 2022-04-29➕EARLE, Melissa Gail appointeddirector
- 2022-04-29➖PICK, Simon resignedsecretary
- 2022-01-31📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-01-31📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-01-31🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2022-01-31🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2021-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2013-04-09➕PICK, Simon appointedsecretary
- 2013-04-07➖JOHNSON, Emma Jane Rebecca resignedsecretary
- 2011-07-01➕JOHNSON, Emma Jane Rebecca appointedsecretary
- 2011-06-30➖EARLE, Brian Peter resignedsecretary
- 2010-06-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2005-12-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2003-12-12➖WATT, Julian resigneddirector
- 2003-12-12➖WITHERS, Paul Steven resigneddirector
- 2001-03-01➖EARLE, Elsie Florence resigneddirector
- 2000-03-31➖WATT, Margaret Catherine resigneddirector
- 1998-04-06➕WITHERS, Paul Steven appointeddirector
- 1985-05-09🏢Company incorporatedAs ABACUS INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LIMITED
Owner dependency
81/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 41 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Marcus Brian Gerald Earle Individual · British · DOB 08/1959 · age 67 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Melissa Gail Earle Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| A2B LUXURY HIRE LTD→ 12386477 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABBEY CAB SERVICES LIMITED→ 10988889 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ABRAXAS MARITIME LTD→ 06260229 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
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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
Incorporated1985-05-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Abacus Lodge, The Old Dairy
Biddenden Road
Headcorn
Kent
TN27 9LW
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-14
Last: 2026-02-28
Officers (3 active · 7 resigned)
EARLE, Melissa Gail→
Activesecretary · appointed 2022-04-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
EARLE, Melissa Gail→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2022-04-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
EARLE, Brian Peter→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2011-06-30
JOHNSON, Emma Jane Rebecca→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2011-07-01 · resigned 2013-04-07
PICK, Simon→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2013-04-09 · resigned 2022-04-29
EARLE, Elsie Florence→
Resigneddirector · ~96y · resigned 2001-03-01
WATT, Julian→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · resigned 2003-12-12
WATT, Margaret Catherine→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · resigned 2000-03-31
WITHERS, Paul Steven→
Resigneddirector · ~60y · appointed 1998-04-06 · resigned 2003-12-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Charge of deposit | 1 property | 29/06/2010 | 31/01/2022 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 22/12/2005 | 31/01/2022 |
Recent filings (143 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-05-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-17
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-05-24
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-05-24
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2022-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-04
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-01-31