ACTION HARDWARE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
02069476 · ltd · incorporated 1986-10-31
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 32.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£-17.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 32.7y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 32.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
109 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £16,972
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£264
~ YoY
Net Worth
-£17k
↓ 1607% YoY
Current Assets
£91k
↓ 19% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-17.0k | £-994 |
| Current assets | £90.6k | £112.1k |
| Cash | £264 | £264 |
| Debtors | £19.8k | £19.4k |
| Net assets | £-17.0k | £-994 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-06📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-05-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-01-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-12-31➖BAKER, Barry Julian resigneddirector
- 2017-12-31➖BAKER, Josephine Esther resigneddirector
- 2017-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-18📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-04-02➕HARTNALL, Judith Yvonne appointeddirector
- 1993-09-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1986-10-31🏢Company incorporatedAs ACTION HARDWARE LIMITED
Owner dependency
91/100
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.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
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 ·Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-05-08
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ian Richard Hartnall Individual · British · DOB 10/1955 · age 71 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 06/04/2017 |
Judith Yvonne Hartnall Individual · British · DOB 07/1952 · age 74 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 02/04/2020 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 STOP INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 08878498 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| 2A IMPORT & EXPORT LIMITED→ 13515941 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 305 INTERNATIONAL GROUP LTD→ 14562025 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 38-40 NINFIELD ROAD LTD→ 15558718 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A&A SPICER HOLDINGS LTD→ 14301227 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AARON CHEMICALS LIMITED→ 02677024 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
| ABMODZ LTD→ 12893563 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABRASIVE SUPPLIES UK LTD→ 12549250 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABRUZZI LTD→ 11681222 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ADINA COSMETIC INGREDIENTS LIMITED→ 02617600 · est 1991 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
| ADONKO BITTERS (UK) LTD→ 11745948 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AEGEAN GOLD DESIGNS LTD→ 09495934 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1986-10-31
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade
Registered office
Unit 2 The Byre
Hodore Farm
Hartfield
East Sussex
TN7 4AR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-08OVERDUE
Last: 2025-04-24
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
Active
Active
HARTNALL, Judith Yvonne→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2009-04-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BAKER, Barry Julian→
Resigneddirector · ~89y · resigned 2017-12-31
BAKER, Josephine Esther→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · resigned 2017-12-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 02/09/1993 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (109 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-06
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2020-05-06
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-05-31