THE INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADVISERS
💤Zombieactive
02391114 · private-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption · incorporated 1989-06-01
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.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of professional membership organisations
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (74/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
96 officers (2 active, 96 linked, 90 with DOB)
89
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
276 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (189 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-15📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2018-10-08📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-10-01➕FRANCKE, Ann Porter appointeddirector
- 2018-10-01➖NEWLYN, Simon resigneddirector
- 2018-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-07➖FRANCKE, Ann Porter resigneddirector
- 2017-06-07➕NEWLYN, Simon appointeddirector
- 2017-06-07📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-06-07📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2016-12-14➕MCLEAN, Elaine appointedsecretary
- 2016-12-14➖HAMILL, Valerie resignedsecretary
- 2016-12-14📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2016-12-14📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2014-11-12➕FRANCKE, Ann Porter appointeddirector
- 2014-11-12➖UPPAL, Narinder resigneddirector
- 2012-11-30➖HILDITCH-ROBERTS, Huw resigneddirector
- 2012-11-30➕UPPAL, Narinder appointeddirector
- 2011-08-24➕HILDITCH-ROBERTS, Huw appointeddirector
- 2011-08-24➖SPELLMAN, Irene Ruth resigneddirector
- 2010-04-06➖MINTY, Bruce Cruden resigneddirector
- 2009-07-20➖LEONARD, William resigneddirector
- 2009-07-20➕MINTY, Bruce Cruden appointeddirector
- 2008-11-12➖NOTT, John Michael Hugh resigneddirector
- 2008-06-01➕SPELLMAN, Irene Ruth appointeddirector
- 2008-05-31➖CHAPMAN, Mary Madeline resigneddirector
- 2006-12-26➕LEONARD, William appointeddirector
- 2006-12-06➕HAMILL, Valerie appointedsecretary
- 2006-12-06➕CHAPMAN, Mary Madeline appointeddirector
- 2006-10-05➖HORNER, Michael James resignedsecretary
- 2006-10-05➖BIRD, Richard Alan resigneddirector
- 2006-10-05➖BRIGGS, George resigneddirector
- 2006-10-05➖EVANS, David Jonathan resigneddirector
- 2006-10-05➖GOUGH, Gordon Clifford resigneddirector
- 2006-10-05➖SINCLAIR, Barbara Vera resigneddirector
- 2006-10-05➖WHYTE, Norman resigneddirector
- 2005-10-22➖BETSON, Christopher resigneddirector
- 2005-10-22➕BRIGGS, George appointeddirector
- 2005-10-22➕EVANS, David Jonathan appointeddirector
- 2005-10-22➖TOLSON, Christine Margaret resigneddirector
- 2005-09-14➕BIRD, Richard Alan appointeddirector
- 2005-09-14➖BRIGGS, George resigneddirector
- 2005-09-14➕GOUGH, Gordon Clifford appointeddirector
Showing most recent 50 of 189 events
Owner dependency
90/100
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
- +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 candidateStrong 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
🔒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
Active · Other · WC postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC FOSTER LTD→ 16611212 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABCT TRUSTEE LIMITED→ 12699206 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABP (NO.1) LIMITED→ 01770398 · est 1983 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 42y | — | — |
| ABP NOMINEES LIMITED→ 02508040 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| ABP SAFEGUARD LIMITED→ 09336557 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ABRARI LIMITED→ 15000547 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACCA GLOBAL LIMITED→ 11506304 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACCELERATE AUTOMOTIVE LTD→ 16610118 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING BLOCKCHAIN LTD→ 11713442 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACCUSENSE SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 03709547 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| ACHAR CONSULTING LLP→ OC353277 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ACHARN BESS LLP→ OC412857 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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
Typeprivate-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption
Incorporated1989-06-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC94120 — Activities of professional membership organisations
Registered office
77 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6SR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-07
Last: 2025-11-23
Officers (2 active · 94 resigned)
Active
FRANCKE, Ann Porter→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2018-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DUNSBY, Brian Leslie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1994-01-01 · resigned 2000-10-22
HAMILL, Valerie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-12-06 · resigned 2016-12-14
HILL, Roy Howard→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1993-12-31
HORNER, Michael James→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-10-22 · resigned 2006-10-05
ALLISON, Angela→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 1997-10-26 · resigned 2001-10-21
ARMSTRONG, Ian Archibald→
Resigneddirector · ~93y · appointed 2000-10-22 · resigned 2003-06-04
ATKINSON, Sydney Hemsworth→
Resigneddirector · ~98y · resigned 1993-06-30
BATTENSBY, Douglas→
Resigneddirector · ~32y · appointed 1994-02-15 · resigned 1996-12-23
BETSON, Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 2000-10-22 · resigned 2005-10-22
BETSON, Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 1996-11-03 · resigned 1999-10-17
BIRD, Michael Colin→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2000-10-22 · resigned 2001-10-21
BIRD, Richard Alan→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2005-09-14 · resigned 2006-10-05
BRIGGS, George→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2005-10-22 · resigned 2006-10-05
BRIGGS, George→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2000-10-22 · resigned 2005-09-14
BROOKS, Martin→
Resigneddirector · ~103y · resigned 1993-11-20
CALEB JOHNSON, Elsa Eugenie→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 1997-10-26 · resigned 1998-10-25
CASEY, Philip Henry→
Resigneddirector · ~90y · appointed 1997-10-26 · resigned 1999-10-17
CHALKLIN, Ronald Frederick→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · appointed 1994-10-28 · resigned 1997-10-26
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (276 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-11-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-12-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-03-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2018-12-11