ADVANCED FORMULATIONS (EUROPE) LTD
💤Zombieactive
02865287 · ltd · incorporated 1993-10-22
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
£46.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46460
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
94 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £46,058
Net assets shrinking
Down £101,274 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£46k
↓ 69% YoY
Current Assets
£170k
↓ 81% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £469.9k | £762.0k |
| Current assets | £169.6k | £910.0k |
| Net assets | £46.1k | £147.3k |
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 (33 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-22📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-26📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-25📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-03-25📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-03-24➖CAMPBELL, Rowan resignedsecretary
- 2021-02-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-23📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2018-01-16📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2017-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-03-25➕CAMPBELL, Rowan, Dr appointeddirector
- 2009-03-25➖CAMPBELL, Rowan, Dr resigneddirector
- 2007-01-01➕CAMPBELL, Rowan appointedsecretary
- 2007-01-01➖CAMPBELL, Rowan Stewart resigneddirector
- 2006-09-13➖SAUNDERS, Robert Stephen resignedsecretary
- 2005-07-18➕SAUNDERS, Robert Stephen appointedsecretary
- 1998-10-01➕CAMPBELL, Rowan Stewart appointeddirector
- 1995-01-02➕CAMPBELL, Sean-Robbie appointeddirector
- 1994-01-17➖CAMPBELL, Hugh resigneddirector
- 1993-10-22🏢Company incorporatedAs ADVANCED FORMULATIONS (EUROPE) LTD
- 1993-10-22➕CAMPBELL, Sean-Robbie appointedsecretary
- 1993-10-22➕FIRST SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1993-10-22➖FIRST SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1993-10-22➕CAMPBELL, Hugh appointeddirector
- 1993-10-22➕FIRST DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1993-10-22➖FIRST DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-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 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — 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 61. 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 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 33 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 Sean Campbell Individual · American · DOB 04/1965 · age 61 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 22/10/2016 |
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 · Wholesale & distribution · TS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2M FOOD SUPPLIERS LIMITED→ 06774765 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 3LUXE WELLNESS LIMITED→ 15508200 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 3WHOLESALE.SOURCING2 LIMITED→ 15583409 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A M MORTAR SUPPLIES LTD→ 14807034 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A P B OILS LIMITED→ 11742552 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A S P PRODUCTS LTD→ 12509145 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABDULHAKEEM TRADE & DISTRIBUTION LTD→ 16674394 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADDITIONAL LENGTHS LTD→ 06069925 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| AESTHETICS SHOP UK LTD→ 15946479 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AHIMIHA LIMITED→ 16824888 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIKEN HEALTHCARE NE LTD→ 14208147 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AL WASI TEXTILES LIMITED→ 16606087 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1993-10-22
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46460 — SIC 46460
Registered office
4 Industro Owens Road
Skippers Lane Industrial Estate
Middlesbrough
TS6 6HE
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-05
Last: 2025-10-22
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
CAMPBELL, Sean-Robbie→
Activesecretary · appointed 1993-10-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CAMPBELL, Sean-Robbie→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 1995-01-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CAMPBELL, Rowan→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-01-01 · resigned 2021-03-24
SAUNDERS, Robert Stephen→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-07-18 · resigned 2006-09-13
FIRST SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-10-22 · resigned 1993-10-22
CAMPBELL, Hugh→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · appointed 1993-10-22 · resigned 1994-01-17
CAMPBELL, Rowan, Dr→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2009-03-25 · resigned 2009-03-25
CAMPBELL, Rowan Stewart→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 1998-10-01 · resigned 2007-01-01
FIRST DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1993-10-22 · resigned 1993-10-22
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (94 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-22
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-26
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-12-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-07-30
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-03-25
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-03-25
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-02-08