AQUATEC GROUP LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
02523284 · ltd · incorporated 1990-07-18
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.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£428.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 27900
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 80-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -49% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 18.6y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
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 · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £428,597
Net assets shrinking
Down £177,197 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 49% YoY
Cash YoY
-49%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£198k
↓ 49% YoY
Net Worth
£429k
↓ 29% YoY
Current Assets
£990k
↓ 8.0% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £524.4k | £751.6k |
| Current assets | £990.1k | £1.08M |
| Cash | £198.1k | £388.9k |
| Debtors | £553.8k | £533.8k |
| Net assets | £428.6k | £605.8k |
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 (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-09-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-20📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-01-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2020-10-22📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-10-19➖LEFÈBVRE, Nicolas resigneddirector
- 2020-08-10📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2020-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-27➖PAULL, Elizabeth Maire resigneddirector
- 2018-07-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-08📄second-filing-of-director-appointment-with-nameofficers · RP04AP01
- 2017-10-24📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2017-10-12📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2017-10-11➕WILLIS, Andrew Douglas appointeddirector
- 2017-10-01➕LEFÈBVRE, Nicolas appointeddirector
- 2017-10-01➕PAULL, Elizabeth Maire appointeddirector
- 2017-09-29➕PERRYMAN, Reva appointedsecretary
- 2016-08-20➖SMERDON, Peter John resignedsecretary
- 2010-03-08🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2007-11-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
- 1990-07-18🏢Company incorporatedAs AQUATEC GROUP LIMITED
Owner dependency
73/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
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 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 36 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.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Michael Smerdon Individual · British · DOB 05/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Andrew Michael Smerdonceased 06/04/2016· 75-100% shares · significant influence · firm interest
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒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 · Manufacturing · RG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A SMART PHULL ALUMINIUM BIFOLDING DOORS AND WINDOWS LTD→ 13156390 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A STITCH IN TWINE LTD→ 15757798 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A.S. PRESSURE ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 04282130 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| APPLE PRINT & CREATIVE HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 09103910 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| APPLIANCE BOOK LTD→ 08731306 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| APPLIED VWS LIMITED→ 16198200 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| APPSOFFICIAL LTD→ 15785001 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AQUAFACTORS LTD→ 08165044 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AQUALITY POOL SERVICE LIMITED→ 15407117 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AQUARIUS WIRELESS SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 17058148 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AQUATEC SUBSEA LIMITED→ 03788079 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| AQUATEC TELEMETRY LIMITED→ 03616338 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated1990-07-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC27900 — SIC 27900
Registered office
Aquatec House
Stroudley Road
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG24 8FW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-17
Last: 2025-08-03
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
Active
Active
WILLIS, Andrew Douglas→
Activedirector · ~80y · appointed 2017-10-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMERDON, Peter John→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2016-08-20
LEFÈBVRE, Nicolas→
Resigneddirector · ~41y · appointed 2017-10-01 · resigned 2020-10-19
PAULL, Elizabeth Maire→
Resigneddirector · ~42y · appointed 2017-10-01 · resigned 2018-07-27
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 12/01/2021 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited | All assets debenture | 1 property | 13/11/2007 | 08/03/2010 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-09-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-04-20
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-01-20
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2020-10-22
accounts-amended-with-made-up-date
accounts · AAMD
2020-08-10