ANDREW HORNER & SON LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
02705269 · ltd · incorporated 1992-04-09
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 May 2025
Net worth
£393.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Sawmilling and planing of wood
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 34.1y

45/100
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.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
90 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 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £393,609
Cash YoY
+6%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£280k
↑ 5.9% YoY
Net Worth
£394k
↑ 5.5% YoY
Current Assets
£497k
↑ 15% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£99k£199k£298k£398k£497kMay 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Total assets£393.6k£373.2k
Current assets£496.9k£431.1k
Cash£280.2k£264.5k
Debtors£155.1k£89.6k
Net assets£393.6k£373.2k

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-10-28
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2024-10-28
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2024-01-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-10-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-10-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-01-06
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  13. 2017-01-06
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  14. 2016-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-04-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-01-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2013-12-05
    ➖
    HORNER, Andrew Peter resigned
    secretary
  18. 2013-12-05
    ➖
    HORNER, Andrew Peter resigned
    director
  19. 2008-04-09
    ➕
    HORNER, Andrew Peter appointed
    secretary
  20. 2008-04-09
    ➖
    ODGERS, Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  21. 2008-04-09
    ➖
    ODGERS, Elizabeth resigned
    director
  22. 1992-06-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  23. 1992-04-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ANDREW HORNER & SON LIMITED
  24. 1992-04-09
    ➕
    HORNER, Peter John appointed
    director
  25. 1992-04-09
    ➕
    ODGERS, Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  26. 1992-04-09
    ➕
    L & A SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 1992-04-09
    ➕
    HORNER, Andrew Peter appointed
    director
  28. 1992-04-09
    ➕
    ODGERS, Elizabeth appointed
    director
  29. 1992-04-09
    ➕
    L & A REGISTRARS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 1992-04-09
    ➖
    L & A REGISTRARS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  31. 1991-04-09
    ➖
    L & A SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HORNER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 34 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. 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 34 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 34 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Peter John Horner
Individual · British · DOB 04/1968 · age 58
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Jacqueline Anne Hornerceased 17/10/2024· 25-50% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1992-04-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC16100 — Sawmilling and planing of wood

Registered office

55 Hoghton Street
Southport
Merseyside
PR9 0PG
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-23
Last: 2026-04-09

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

HORNER, Peter John→
director · ~58y · appointed 1992-04-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HORNER, Andrew Peter→
secretary · appointed 2008-04-09 · resigned 2013-12-05
Resigned
ODGERS, Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 1992-04-09 · resigned 2008-04-09
Resigned
L & A SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1992-04-09 · resigned 1991-04-09
Resigned
HORNER, Andrew Peter→
director · ~85y · appointed 1992-04-09 · resigned 2013-12-05
Resigned
ODGERS, Elizabeth→
director · ~57y · appointed 1992-04-09 · resigned 2008-04-09
Resigned
L & A REGISTRARS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1992-04-09 · resigned 1992-04-09
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Fixed and floating charge1 property08/06/199206/01/2017

Recent filings (90 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-26
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-17