SMITHS COLOUR PRINTERS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
02028291 · ltd · incorporated 1986-06-16
Investment thesis
Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.
Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.
Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 39.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 7499
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (88/100, director aged 74). Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (45/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 39.7y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 39.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 20/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: low (52/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
21 officers (3 active, 21 linked, 17 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
12 connected companies via shared directors
81
Filing history
128 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
55
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
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 (65 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-02📄restoration-order-of-courtrestoration · AC92
- 2010-05-25📄gazette-dissolved-compulsorygazette · GAZ2
- 2010-02-09📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2009-09-16📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2009-09-16📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2009-09-15➖VARNEY, Richard Norman resigneddirector
- 2009-09-15➖WORSNOP, Howard James resigneddirector
- 2009-09-15📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2009-09-15📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2009-09-02➕HARRIS, Philip Charles appointeddirector
- 2009-09-02➕ST IVES PLC appointedcorporate-director
- 2009-08-14📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2009-08-03➖EDWARDS, Brian Charles resigneddirector
- 2009-03-04📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2008-06-03📄accounts-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AA
- 2008-03-05📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2007-05-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-03-07📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2006-12-21📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2006-12-17➖MCGOLPIN, David resigneddirector
- 2006-10-03📄legacyofficers · 288c
- 2006-08-10📄legacyofficers · 288c
- 2006-05-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2006-03-07📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2005-06-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2005-03-24📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2004-04-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2004-03-31📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2003-12-12📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2003-11-18➖BROWN, James Andrew resigneddirector
- 2003-11-14📄legacyofficers · 288c
- 2003-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2001-09-03➖SMAILES, Norman resigneddirector
- 2000-11-09➖JOHNSON, Ian John Fulford resigneddirector
- 2000-10-23➕BROWN, James Andrew appointeddirector
- 2000-10-18➖FLETCHER, Andrew Richard resigneddirector
- 2000-09-21➕MCGOLPIN, David appointeddirector
- 1999-10-01➕VARNEY, Richard Norman appointeddirector
- 1999-07-19➖GILL, Keith Martin resigneddirector
- 1999-04-29➖SUGDEN, Bernard Brian resigneddirector
- 1999-01-04➕EDWARDS, Brian Charles appointeddirector
- 1998-10-16➕HARRIS, Philip Charles appointedsecretary
- 1998-10-16➖FLETCHER, Andrew Richard resignedsecretary
- 1997-03-27➖MACPHERSON, Ian resigneddirector
- 1996-12-04➕GILL, Keith Martin appointeddirector
- 1996-12-04➖THOMPSON, Geoffrey resigneddirector
- 1996-12-04➖WEBB, David resigneddirector
- 1996-11-18➕SMAILES, Norman appointeddirector
- 1996-11-18➕WORSNOP, Howard James appointeddirector
- 1996-03-01➕MACPHERSON, Ian appointeddirector
Showing most recent 50 of 65 events
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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
84/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- 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
1 high ·Accounts overdue
highStatutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.
Evidence: Next due: 2009-05-31
🔒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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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
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1986-06-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC7499 — SIC 7499
Registered office
St Ives House
Lavington Street
London
SE1 0NX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2009-05-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2007-08-03
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (3 active · 18 resigned)
HARRIS, Philip Charles→
Activesecretary · appointed 1998-10-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HARRIS, Philip Charles→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2009-09-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ST IVES PLC→
Activecorporate-director · appointed 2009-09-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FLETCHER, Andrew Richard→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1993-07-09 · resigned 1998-10-16
STARK, Lucia Elizabeth→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1993-07-09
BROWN, James Andrew→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2000-10-23 · resigned 2003-11-18
EDWARDS, Brian Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1999-01-04 · resigned 2009-08-03
FLETCHER, Andrew Richard→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 1993-07-09 · resigned 2000-10-18
GILL, Keith Martin→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 1996-12-04 · resigned 1999-07-19
HARRISON, Kenneth→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · resigned 1995-10-06
JOHNSON, Ian John Fulford→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 1993-07-09 · resigned 2000-11-09
MACPHERSON, Ian→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1996-03-01 · resigned 1997-03-27
MCGOLPIN, David→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 2000-09-21 · resigned 2006-12-17
RISBY, Nigel Stuart→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 1991-07-15 · resigned 1993-04-22
SMAILES, Norman→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 1996-11-18 · resigned 2001-09-03
STARK, Lucia Elizabeth→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · resigned 1995-06-16
SUGDEN, Bernard Brian→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · appointed 1993-07-09 · resigned 1999-04-29
THOMPSON, Geoffrey→
Resigneddirector · ~93y · resigned 1996-12-04
VARNEY, Richard Norman→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · appointed 1999-10-01 · resigned 2009-09-15
WEBB, David→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 1995-08-14 · resigned 1996-12-04
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 | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 24/09/1987 | 02/09/1994 | |
| satisfied | William Joseph Stork. | Debenture | 1 property | 08/10/1986 | 17/08/1993 |
Recent filings (128 total)
restoration-order-of-court
restoration · AC92
2025-05-02
gazette-dissolved-compulsory
gazette · GAZ2
2010-05-25
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2010-02-09
legacy
officers · 288a
2009-09-16
legacy
officers · 288a
2009-09-16
legacy
officers · 288b
2009-09-15
legacy
officers · 288b
2009-09-15
legacy
officers · 288b
2009-08-14
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2009-03-04
accounts-with-made-up-date
accounts · AA
2008-06-03
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-03-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2007-05-16
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2007-03-07
legacy
officers · 288b
2006-12-21
legacy
officers · 288c
2006-10-03