EXPLORE LIMITED
⚰️Wound downdissolved
01975359 · ltd · incorporated 1986-01-07
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
56/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 7499
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 56/100 (worth a look), bankability 72/100. Strong seller-intent signal (88/100, director aged 66). Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
6 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 40.0y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 40.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: low (53/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (3 active, 10 linked, 8 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
14 connected companies via shared directors
87
Filing history
127 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
56/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
41
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (50 events)Click to expand
- 2012-03-27📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2012-03-27🏁Company dissolved
- 2011-12-13📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2011-11-29📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2011-09-22📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2011-09-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-03-25📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2011-03-25📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2011-03-25⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2011-03-25📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2011-01-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2011-01-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-nameofficers · AP01
- 2011-01-06📄termination-director-company-with-nameofficers · TM01
- 2011-01-01➕BRIGHT, Neil Irvine appointeddirector
- 2010-12-31➖BADDELEY, Robert Gregory resigneddirector
- 2010-09-21📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-06-08📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2010-06-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2010-06-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2010-04-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2010-01-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2009-09-01📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2009-05-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-09-19📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2008-04-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-09-11📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2007-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2006-09-26📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2005-09-16➕WILLIAMSON, Alexandra Dilys appointedsecretary
- 2005-09-16➕MAY, Timothy William appointeddirector
- 2005-09-16➖MAY, Timothy William resignedsecretary
- 2005-09-16➖ATKINSON, Richard Westaway resigneddirector
- 2004-02-10➖CREW, James Robert resigneddirector
- 2000-09-19🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2000-09-19🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 1996-03-29➖LEPPARD, Martin Neal resigneddirector
- 1995-07-25🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 1995-03-31➕BADDELEY, Robert Gregory appointeddirector
- 1995-03-31➖HARMAN, Gordon resigneddirector
- 1995-02-03🔒Charge registered #6Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1993-11-25🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 1993-07-29➖RAWEL, Julian Stephen resigneddirector
- 1993-07-12🔒Charge registered #5Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1991-09-10🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 1991-08-02🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1991-08-02🔒Charge registered #3Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1988-11-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1986-10-27🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1986-05-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Development Capital Limited
- 1986-01-07🏢Company incorporatedAs EXPLORE LIMITED
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 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
2 high · 1 med ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2012-03-27
1 insolvency-related filing on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2011-03-25: legacy
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
🔒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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13TH LEGION LIMITED→ 05778881 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| 167 HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 14773766 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 1KLT CONSULTANCY LTD→ 16379496 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 2 MAGPIES HOLDINGS LTD→ 13117616 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 20/20 SIGHTING LIMITED→ 12785718 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 2125 TM LTD→ 16733538 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 28 DEGREES NORTH LIMITED→ 07475082 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| 365 INDUSTRIES LTD→ 08851411 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| 3CCP LIMITED→ 16496841 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3D SCANWORX LIMITED→ 09103429 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| 3KS PARTNERSHIP LTD→ 08958505 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| 53 DEGREES ACCOUNTS LTD→ 16437328 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1986-01-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC7499 — SIC 7499
Registered office
Hartford Manor
Greenbank Lane
Northwich
Cheshire
CW8 1HW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2010-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 7 resigned)
WILLIAMSON, Alexandra Dilys→
Activesecretary · appointed 2005-09-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRIGHT, Neil Irvine→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2011-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MAY, Timothy William→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2005-09-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MAY, Timothy William→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2005-09-16
ATKINSON, Richard Westaway→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · resigned 2005-09-16
BADDELEY, Robert Gregory→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 1995-03-31 · resigned 2010-12-31
CREW, James Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 2004-02-10
HARMAN, Gordon→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 1995-03-31
LEPPARD, Martin Neal→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · resigned 1996-03-29
RAWEL, Julian Stephen→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · resigned 1993-07-29
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
6
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Composite guarantee and debenture | 1 property | 03/02/1995 | 19/09/2000 | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 12/07/1993 | 19/09/2000 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Guarantee and debenture | 1 property | 02/08/1991 | 25/07/1995 | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 02/08/1991 | 25/11/1993 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 29/11/1988 | 10/09/1991 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Development Capital Limited | Secured loan note 1987 | 1 property | 08/05/1986 | 27/10/1986 |
Recent filings (127 total)
gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2012-03-27
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2011-12-13
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2011-11-29
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2011-09-22
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2011-09-05
capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figure
capital · SH19
2011-03-25
legacy
capital · SH20
2011-03-25
legacy
insolvency · CAP-SS
2011-03-25
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2011-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2011-01-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name
officers · AP01
2011-01-06
termination-director-company-with-name
officers · TM01
2011-01-06
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-09-21
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2010-06-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2010-06-08