A.E.S. (BIRMINGHAM) LIMITED
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 87). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -42% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 32.0y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 32.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key 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 | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £132.5k | £211.1k |
| Current assets | £226.6k | £289.0k |
| Cash | £75.3k | £128.8k |
| Debtors | £120.0k | £111.7k |
| Net assets | £127.9k | £207.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-26📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2018-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-01📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2018-02-01📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2018-01-22📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2017-12-19➖REA, Anthony resigneddirector
- 2017-12-19📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2017-12-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-04➕DOUGLAS, Mark Edward appointeddirector
- 1994-06-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1986-04-21🏢Company incorporatedAs A.E.S. (BIRMINGHAM) LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 87 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 87 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 40 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Bernard Douglas Individual · British · DOB 09/1939 · age 87 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Tony Reaceased 19/12/2017· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A E OSCROFT & SONS LIMITED→ 04496910 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
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| A.E.CHAPMAN & CO.,(OLD HILL)LIMITED→ 00371611 · est 1942 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 84y | — | — |
| A.EDMONDS & CO.LIMITED→ 00134794 · est 1914 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 112y | — | — |
| ADAM SOFA LIMITED→ 16318736 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADAPT PLANT REPAIRS LIMITED→ 15559506 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADHESIVE SUPPLY COMPANY LTD→ 10381595 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ADI TREATMENTS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→ 03820513 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ADI TREATMENTS LIMITED→ 03840660 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ADVANCE PRINTWEAR LIMITED→ 05433275 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ADVANCED BMS LTD→ 14231455 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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 (3 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 21/06/1994 | — |