A.B.C. TOOLS AND FASTENERS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
02389000 · ltd · incorporated 1989-05-25
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
Why now
Window steady · high confidence
Thesis has shifted recently — watch for confirmation.
  • · Lifecycle stage: mature → zombie
  • · Investment thesis: well_run_hard_buy → zombie_hold
  • · Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
  • · Hygiene score: 82 → 77
Opportunity decay
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
  • · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
  • · Currently "zombie"
What changed my view
Last 30 days

Picture worsened over the last 30 days — 3 negative signals vs 1 positive.

  • ↓Lifecycle stage: mature → zombie
  • ·Investment thesis: well_run_hard_buy → zombie_hold
  • ↑Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
  • ↓Hygiene score: 82 → 77
  • ↓Refinance opportunity: clean_up_first → under_pressure
Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Nov 2025
Net worth
£30.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of other machinery and equipment
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 4 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · oldest 36.7y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 36.7 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.

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
99 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £30,032
Net assets shrinking
Down £4,255 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£30k
↓ 12% YoY
Current Assets
£60k
↓ 20% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£15k£30k£45k£60k£75kNov 2024Nov 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-11-302024-11-30
Total assets£30.0k£34.3k
Current assets£59.9k£74.9k
Net assets£30.0k£34.3k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-07-16
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2026-02-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-11-30
    ➖
    CIMINO, Robert Edward resigned
    director
  4. 2025-04-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-03-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-03-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-02-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-06-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-04-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-11-23
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2016-06-07
    ➕
    CIMINO, Robert Edward appointed
    director
  15. 2016-05-31
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2015-06-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 1996-06-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  19. 1994-07-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  20. 1994-05-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  21. 1989-11-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  22. 1989-05-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A.B.C. TOOLS AND FASTENERS LIMITED

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 37 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Antonio Cimino
Individual · British · DOB 11/1958 · age 68
25–50%
—25-50% shares01/12/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Wholesale & distribution · ST postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
AG ENGINEERING SUPPLIES LIMITED→
12152384 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
AKS MACHINE HIRE LIMITED→
16254228 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
AL-MAQTRI AND MASHRAH IMPORT AND EXPORT CO., LTD→
16055631 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ALMOGREN IMPORT& EXPORT CO., LTD→
15151447 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ALSAAREM CO., LTD→
16281990 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
AMAZING SPACE CONCEPTS LTD→
16541351 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ANGELCARE CORPORATE UK LIMITED→
06051294 · est 2007 · no financials extracted
————19y——
ANGLO CLAYS AND MINERALS LIMITED→
02582243 · est 1991 · no financials extracted
————35y——
ANJIAYING INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO., LTD→
09294245 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————11y——
AOKE INTERNATIONAL TRADING LIMITED→
16172667 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
AOS ENTERPRISE LTD→
14848064 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
APEX HARDWARE LIMITED→
05270205 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————21y——
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
Incorporated1989-05-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46690 — Wholesale of other machinery and equipment

Registered office

Unit 4 Emma Court Dewsbury Road
Fenton Industrial Estate
Fenton Stoke-On-Trent
Staffs
ST4 2TH

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-08-31
Last made up to: 2025-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-25
Last: 2025-08-11

Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)

CIMINO, Pamela→
secretary
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CIMINO, Antonio Biagio→
director · ~68y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CIMINO, Robert Edward→
director · ~37y · appointed 2016-06-07 · resigned 2025-11-30
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property17/06/1996—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property28/07/1994—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property31/05/1994—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Single debenture1 property20/11/1989—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (99 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-04-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-03-10