AERCO SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02722973 · ltd · incorporated 1992-06-15
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 76). 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 11.9y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (57/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
126 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.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 2 accounts
- • 2 other
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-12-15📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2025-12-15📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2025-12-15📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-26📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-06-26📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-06-26📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-21📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-08-21📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-08-21📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2022-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-10📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2022-10-10📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2022-10-10📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2021-09-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-02📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2021-09-02📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2021-09-02📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2014-07-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2013-09-08➖LAUGHTON, William Benjamin resigneddirector
- 1999-06-16➕LAUGHTON, William Benjamin appointeddirector
- 1999-05-31➖GRIFFITHS, Michael John resigneddirector
- 1998-06-30➕LAUGHTON, Robert appointedsecretary
- 1998-06-30➕LAUGHTON, Robert appointeddirector
- 1998-06-30➖WARD, Paul Derek resignedsecretary
- 1998-06-30➖WARD, Paul Derek resigneddirector
- 1998-02-11➕GRIFFITHS, Michael John appointeddirector
- 1998-02-11➖LAUGHTON, William Benjamin resigneddirector
- 1992-06-15🏢Company incorporatedAs AERCO SERVICES LIMITED
- 1992-06-15➕WARD, Paul Derek appointedsecretary
- 1992-06-15➕ALPHA SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1992-06-15➖ALPHA SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1992-06-15➕LAUGHTON, William Benjamin appointeddirector
- 1992-06-15➕WARD, Paul Derek appointeddirector
- 1992-06-15➕ALPHA DIRECT LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1992-06-15➖ALPHA DIRECT LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
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 76 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Group structure
Aerco (Holdings) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Aerco (Holdings) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
AERCO SERVICES LIMITED
This company · 02722973
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aerco (Holdings) Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Retail · RH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 NOMBRES LTD→ 16769695 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A1 FRESH LTD→ 11711198 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AB TAYLOR RETAIL LTD→ 15388555 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABC CLASSICS LIMITED→ 13613860 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABPLAS LIMITED→ 06233192 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ABROAD SPECTRUM LIMITED→ 02509529 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| ACASA LONDON LTD→ 13149168 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ACHARY EYECARE LIMITED→ 08450856 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ADJUSTUS LTD→ 09531859 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ADSCENSIO SPORTS LTD→ 16175056 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AEGCBS LTD→ 15860101 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AESTIVO LTD→ 16206013 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1992-06-15
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47110 — Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating
Registered office
Unit 17 Lawson Hunt Industrial
Park
Broadbridge Heath Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 3JR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-28
Last: 2025-06-14
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
Active
LAUGHTON, Robert→
Activedirector · ~76y · appointed 1998-06-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WARD, Paul Derek→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1992-06-15 · resigned 1998-06-30
ALPHA SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1992-06-15 · resigned 1992-06-15
GRIFFITHS, Michael John→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · appointed 1998-02-11 · resigned 1999-05-31
LAUGHTON, William Benjamin→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · appointed 1999-06-16 · resigned 2013-09-08
LAUGHTON, William Benjamin→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · appointed 1992-06-15 · resigned 1998-02-11
WARD, Paul Derek→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · appointed 1992-06-15 · resigned 1998-06-30
ALPHA DIRECT LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1992-06-15 · resigned 1992-06-15
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/07/2014 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (126 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-15
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2025-12-15
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2025-12-15
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2025-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-26
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-06-26
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-06-26
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2024-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2023-08-21
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2023-08-21
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2023-08-21
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2023-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-16