ASHBY SIGNS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
02557407 · ltd · incorporated 1990-11-12
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 14.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 14.2y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 14.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)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
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
105 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.
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|
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
- 2025-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-20📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-05-01➕HORSEMAN, Charles Nicholas appointeddirector
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2019-08-20📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-13📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-05-23➖HORSEMAN, Charlotte Katherine Alice resigneddirector
- 2013-05-30🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2012-05-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2012-05-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1990-11-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ASHBY SIGNS LIMITED
Owner dependency
81/100
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
26/100
Weak signalLimited succession signal. Not a near-term off-market candidate.
SIGNALS
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — HORSEMAN, Charles Nicholas (same surname) appointed 2022-05-01. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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.)
Group structure
Shorenam Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Shorenam Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
ASHBY SIGNS LIMITED
This company · 02557407
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Shorenam Holdings Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 17/07/2019 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Nicholas Kerry Horsemanceased 17/07/2019· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
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 & Z ENGINEERING (READING) LIMITED→ 03767979 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| A SMART PHULL ALUMINIUM BIFOLDING DOORS AND WINDOWS LTD→ 13156390 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A VIDA FASHION LIMITED→ 06085785 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| APPLIANCE BOOK LTD→ 08731306 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| APPSOFFICIAL LTD→ 15785001 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AQUALITY POOL SERVICE LIMITED→ 15407117 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARCUM LIMITED→ 02910011 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| ARTFLOW TECHNOLOGY LIMITED→ 17012761 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASCOT AUTOCLAVES LTD.→ 02902032 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| ASK TECHNOLOGY LIMITED→ 04963599 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ASPELL'S CARPENTRY & JOINERY LTD→ 13111350 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASTRATUS LIMITED→ 15799907 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1990-11-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990
Registered office
Unit 1 Hatch Industrial Park
Greywell Road
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG24 7NG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-21
Last: 2025-10-07
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
Active
HORSEMAN, Charles Nicholas→
Activedirector · ~37y · appointed 2022-05-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HORSEMAN, Charlotte Katherine Alice→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · resigned 2014-05-23
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 | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 18/05/2012 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 02/05/2012 | 30/05/2013 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (105 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-27
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-12-09
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2019-08-20