ADMIRAL SIGNS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02562496 · ltd · incorporated 1990-11-26
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
£11.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 34.1y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 34.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · 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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
80
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 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £11,443
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£11k
↑ 53% YoY
Current Assets
£192k
↑ 39% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £11.4k | £7.5k |
| Current assets | £192.4k | £138.3k |
| Net assets | £11.4k | £7.5k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-12-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-06-02➖DUFFIN, Alfred George resigneddirector
- 2025-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-06📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-02-06📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-01-13📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-11-23➖DUFFIN, Joan resignedsecretary
- 2022-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-04-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-16📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-07-16📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-07-03📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-06-28📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2019-06-28🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2019-06-19🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Alfred George Duffin as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Limited Directors Pension Scheme
- 2006-01-18➕DUFFIN, Carl Robert appointeddirector
- 1994-06-10➕DUFFIN, Joan appointedsecretary
- 1994-06-10➖MORTLOCK, Trevor Francis resignedsecretary
- 1992-03-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1990-11-26🏢Company incorporatedAs ADMIRAL SIGNS LIMITED
- 1938-05-25➖MORTLOCK, Trevor Francis resigneddirector
Owner dependency
93/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 35 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
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 Carl Robert Duffin Individual · British · DOB 09/1967 · age 59 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 13/12/2022 |
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Alfred George Duffinceased 13/12/2022· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting
- Mr Carl Robert Duffinceased 15/07/2019· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting
- Mr Alfred George Duffinceased 18/06/2019· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · LS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00222139 LIMITED→ 00222139 · est 1927 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 98y | — | — |
| 4B BRAIME COMPONENTS LIMITED→ 01171825 · est 1974 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| A FAWCETT PRECISION ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 01765270 · est 1983 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 42y | — | — |
| AARAN STEEL SERVICES LTD→ 15555684 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AB PLANT REPAIRS LTD→ 11983146 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADRIAN JOHNSON LIMITED→ 03874061 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ADROIT PLASTICS LTD→ 09241262 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AGR MECHANIC LTD→ 14704126 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AHT HEALTHCARE LTD→ 12710339 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AIR CONSULTANTS (LEEDS) LTD→ 15739578 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AIR SERVICES LIMITED→ 01071805 · est 1972 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 53y | — | — |
| AIR SOURCE COVERS LTD→ 14497696 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1990-11-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Registered office
Lister House Lister Hill
Horsforth
Leeds
LS18 5AZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-20
Last: 2026-02-06
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
DUFFIN, Carl Robert→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2006-01-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DUFFIN, Joan→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1994-06-10 · resigned 2022-11-23
MORTLOCK, Trevor Francis→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1994-06-10
DUFFIN, Alfred George→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · resigned 2025-06-02
MORTLOCK, Trevor Francis→
Resigneddirector · ~88y · resigned 1938-05-25
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 | Alfred George Duffin as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Directors Pension Scheme / Carl Robert Duffin as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Directors Pension Scheme / Buckle Barton Pensioneer Trustees as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Directors Pension Scheme Alfred George Duffin as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Limited Directors Pension Scheme / Carl Robert Duffin as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Limited Directors Pension Scheme / Buckle Barton Pensioneer Trustees Limited as Trustee of the Admiral Signs Limited Directors Pension Scheme | A registered charge | — | 19/06/2019 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 30/03/1992 | 28/06/2019 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-03-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-06
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-02-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-02-06
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-03-29