ANIMATED EXPRESSIONS LIMITED
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 60/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 78). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. 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 (53/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 32.1y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 32.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2016-11-05📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2016-10-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2016-10-18📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2016-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-31➖TRUMBLE, Michael Christian resigneddirector
- 2015-08-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 1994-05-15🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1986-09-05🏢Company incorporatedAs ANIMATED EXPRESSIONS LIMITED
- 1986-09-05➕WIGGINS, Jacqueline Ann appointeddirector
- 1986-09-05➕TRUMBLE, Michael Christian appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 40 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 40 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.
Red flags
1 high ·Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-05-31
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Jacqueline Ann Wiggins Individual · British · DOB 12/1948 · age 78 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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10 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 (2 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 15/05/1994 | — |