ARMSTRONG HYDRAULIC SERVICES (HULL) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
01972403 · ltd · incorporated 1985-12-18
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
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 33150
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 33190SIC 33190
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 38.3y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 38.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
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
100 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | -1100 | -1100 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 miscellaneous
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 miscellaneous
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-25📄legacymiscellaneous · RP01PSC01
- 2025-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-07-23📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-08-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2010-01-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2010-01-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2009-12-19🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2005-08-31➕ARMSTRONG, Lynn appointedsecretary
- 2005-08-31➖ARMSTRONG, John Clive resignedsecretary
- 2005-08-31➖ARMSTRONG, Elizabeth resigneddirector
- 2005-08-31➖ARMSTRONG, John Clive resigneddirector
- 1997-03-06➖TURNER, Robert resigneddirector
- 1993-10-22➕ARMSTRONG, Brian appointeddirector
- 1988-01-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1985-12-18🏢Company incorporatedAs ARMSTRONG HYDRAULIC SERVICES (HULL) LIMITED
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ARMSTRONG" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 33 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 40 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Brian Armstrong Individual · British · DOB 03/1968 · age 58 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Lynn Armstrong Individual · British · DOB 04/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/06/2023 |
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 · HU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-TEC SERVICES (HUMBER) LIMITED→ 09847093 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| AIR CORP GLOBAL LIMITED→ 14583787 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALLAM GENERATORS LIMITED→ 05620647 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ALS (HULL) LTD→ 15593796 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| APROLIS UK LIMITED→ 02550150 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| ARH MODULAR HOMES LTD→ 10902590 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ARH PORTABLE BUILDINGS LIMITED→ 15258123 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARMITAGE SHANKS LTD→ 04864346 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ARXELL (IP) LIMITED→ 10064100 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ARXELL LIMITED→ 08832606 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ASH ACCESS LTD→ 16928791 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASHURST INSTRUMENTATION LTD→ 14394774 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1985-12-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC33150 — SIC 33150
Registered office
Unit A Central Orbit Trading Park
Waverley Street
Hull
East Yorkshire
HU1 2SH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-20
Last: 2025-07-06
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
Active
ARMSTRONG, Brian→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 1993-10-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ARMSTRONG, John Clive→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2005-08-31
ARMSTRONG, Elizabeth→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · resigned 2005-08-31
ARMSTRONG, John Clive→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · resigned 2005-08-31
TURNER, Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · resigned 1997-03-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 15/01/2010 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 05/01/2010 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 19/01/1988 | 19/12/2009 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (100 total)
legacy
miscellaneous · RP01PSC01
2026-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-07-23
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-07-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-07-14