A5 HYDRAULICS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02641883 · ltd · incorporated 1991-08-30
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 Aug 2024
Net worth
£639.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25990
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 33190SIC 33190
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 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
3 live charges · oldest 33.8y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 33.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (1 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
105 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 102Positive net assets
Net assets £639,831
Cash YoY
+4%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£439k
↑ 4.2% YoY
Net Worth
£640k
↑ 3.4% YoY
Current Assets
£623k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £676.3k | £648.6k |
| Current assets | £623.2k | £628.4k |
| Cash | £439.2k | £421.5k |
| Debtors | £161.5k | £184.4k |
| Net assets | £639.8k | £618.6k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (37 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-11📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-08-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-08-08📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2025-07-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-06-23➖KITCHING, Nicholas resigneddirector
- 2025-06-23🔒Charge registered #3Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2025-05-29📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2025-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-09📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2020-02-28📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-07➖KITCHING, William resigneddirector
- 2012-04-02➖BRISCHUK, Linda resignedsecretary
- 2012-04-02➖BRISCHUK, Linda resigneddirector
- 1999-01-15🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1998-07-25➖MCCUE, Douglas Melvyn resigneddirector
- 1995-03-03➕BRISCHUK, Linda appointeddirector
- 1994-12-01➖HIRD, Christopher James resigneddirector
- 1992-06-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1991-09-24➕GAYNOR, Gerard Roland Furrand appointeddirector
- 1991-09-24➕HIRD, Christopher James appointeddirector
- 1991-09-24➕KITCHING, Nicholas appointeddirector
- 1991-09-24➕KITCHING, William appointeddirector
- 1991-08-30🏢Company incorporatedAs A5 HYDRAULICS LIMITED
- 1991-08-30➕BRISCHUK, Linda appointedsecretary
- 1991-08-30➕THOMAS, Howard appointednominee-secretary
- 1991-08-30➖THOMAS, Howard resignednominee-secretary
- 1991-08-30➕MCCUE, Douglas Melvyn appointeddirector
- 1991-08-30➕TESTER, William Andrew Joseph appointednominee-director
- 1991-08-30➖TESTER, William Andrew Joseph resignednominee-director
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 35 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
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 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 35 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Gerard Gaynor Individual · British · DOB 03/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 26/10/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Nicholas Kitchingceased 23/06/2025· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0537277 LIMITED→ 00537277 · est 1954 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 71y | — | — |
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| 24/7 CASTCRETE LTD→ 16966312 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24/7 CONCRETE & AGGREGATES LTD→ 12371289 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 24/7 FABRICATION LTD→ 16966201 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3RD HOUR LIMITED→ 09452414 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| A & H SITE LINE BORING & MACHINING LTD→ 09743311 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| A FAB LIMITED→ 10847647 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| A.D. CALVERT ARCHITECTURAL STONE SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 04113853 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| AAL GLOBAL LIMITED→ 11094448 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ABSORBENT PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 03532220 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
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
Typeltd
Incorporated1991-08-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990
Registered office
Unit 46a
Alliance Industrial Estate
Dodsworth Street Darlington
County Durham
DL1 2NG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-27
Last: 2025-08-13
Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)
GAYNOR, Gerard Roland Furrand→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 1991-09-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRISCHUK, Linda→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1991-08-30 · resigned 2012-04-02
THOMAS, Howard→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1991-08-30 · resigned 1991-08-30
BRISCHUK, Linda→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1995-03-03 · resigned 2012-04-02
HIRD, Christopher James→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 1991-09-24 · resigned 1994-12-01
KITCHING, Nicholas→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 1991-09-24 · resigned 2025-06-23
KITCHING, William→
Resigneddirector · ~95y · appointed 1991-09-24 · resigned 2016-10-07
MCCUE, Douglas Melvyn→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1991-08-30 · resigned 1998-07-25
TESTER, William Andrew Joseph→
Resignednominee-director · ~64y · appointed 1991-08-30 · resigned 1991-08-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 23/06/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 15/01/1999 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 30/06/1992 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (105 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-13
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-08-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-11
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2025-08-08
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-07-01
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2025-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-05-29