SIGNET (AC) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

02949875 · ltd · incorporated 1994-07-18

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 Apr 2025

Net worth

£4.00M

book net assets

Opportunity

79/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 27900

Sector: Manufacturing

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 30.0y

15/100

under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

· Oldest live charge is 30.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)

Directors & officers

12 officers (2 active, 12 linked, 6 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

9 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

98 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

79/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared

Positive net assets

Net assets £4,002,172

Cash YoY

+38%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£1.2m

↑ 38% YoY

Net Worth

£4.0m

↑ 13% YoY

Current Assets

£4.5m

↑ 9.9% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2025-04-30	2024-04-30
Total assets	£4.03M	£3.57M
Current assets	£4.48M	£4.08M
Cash	£1.23M	£890.4k
Debtors	£1.99M	£2.01M
Net assets	£4.00M	£3.55M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand

2026-01-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-01-15
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-01-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-01-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-01-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-01-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-12-11
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2019-12-11
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2019-11-18
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2019-11-07
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)
2018-11-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2018-01-11
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2016-12-30
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-audited-abridged
accounts · AA
2015-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2015-08-11
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2014-12-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2009-11-20
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2009-07-20
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2006-03-30
➕
FOSTER, Susana Jane appointed
secretary
2006-03-30
➖
SCOTT, Andrew Duncan resigned
secretary
2006-03-30
➖
SCOTT, Andrew Duncan resigned
director
2001-02-20
➖
FIELDSEND, Kenneth Frederick resigned
director
2000-09-11
➖
SMITH, Anthony Clifford resigned
director
1998-07-16
➕
SMITH, Anthony Clifford appointed
director
1997-11-20
➖
FOSTER, Andrew William resigned
secretary
1997-11-20
➕
SCOTT, Andrew Duncan appointed
secretary
1997-07-19
➖
BELL, Raoul Nigel resigned
secretary
1997-07-19
➕
FOSTER, Andrew William appointed
secretary
1997-07-19
➖
BELL, Raoul Nigel resigned
director
1996-06-10
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1994-07-25
➕
BELL, Raoul Nigel appointed
secretary
1994-07-25
➖
FIELDSEND, Kenneth Frederick resigned
secretary
1994-07-25
➕
BELL, Raoul Nigel appointed
director
1994-07-25
➕
FIELDSEND, Kenneth Frederick appointed
director
1994-07-25
➕
SCOTT, Andrew Duncan appointed
director
1994-07-19
➕
FOSTER, Andrew William appointed
director
1994-07-19
➕
FIELDSEND, Kenneth Frederick appointed
secretary
1994-07-19
➖
CHANCERY BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
1994-07-19
➖
COWAN, Stanford Russell resigned
nominee-director
1994-07-18
🏢
Company incorporated
As SIGNET (AC) LIMITED
1994-07-18
➕
CHANCERY BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
1994-07-18
➕
COWAN, Stanford Russell appointed
nominee-director

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.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100

Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 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 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 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

1 med ·

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

Computionics Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️

Computionics Limited

Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares

ultimate parent

⬇

SIGNET (AC) LIMITED

This company · 02949875

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
Computionics Limited Corporate entity	75–100%	75–100%	75-100% shares · 75-100% voting	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 →

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AFRINOVA LTD→ 16230851 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
AIKOTECH LTD→ 16041388 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
AIS PROJECTS LIMITED→ 04266687 · est 2001 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	24y	—	—
ALDRIDGE FURNISHINGS LIMITED→ 04615114 · est 2002 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	23y	—	—
ALEXICAN LTD→ 03199425 · est 1996 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	29y	—	—
ALLIANCE DOOR ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 04340961 · est 2001 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	24y	—	—
ALP EQUIPMENT LTD→ 04949522 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—
ALPHA1000 LIMITED→ 16016888 · est 2024 · 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

Incorporated1994-07-18

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC27900 — SIC 27900

Registered office

54 Chorley Road

Hilldale Parbold

Wigan

Lancs

WN8 7AS

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-01-31

Last made up to: 2025-04-30

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-08-01

Last: 2025-07-18

Officers (2 active · 10 resigned)

FOSTER, Susana Jane→

secretary · appointed 2006-03-30

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

FOSTER, Andrew William→

director · ~74y · appointed 1994-07-19

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BELL, Raoul Nigel→

secretary · appointed 1994-07-25 · resigned 1997-07-19

Resigned

FIELDSEND, Kenneth Frederick→

secretary · appointed 1994-07-19 · resigned 1994-07-25

Resigned

FOSTER, Andrew William→

secretary · appointed 1997-07-19 · resigned 1997-11-20

Resigned

SCOTT, Andrew Duncan→

secretary · appointed 1997-11-20 · resigned 2006-03-30

Resigned

CHANCERY BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1994-07-18 · resigned 1994-07-19

Resigned

BELL, Raoul Nigel→

director · ~77y · appointed 1994-07-25 · resigned 1997-07-19

Resigned

COWAN, Stanford Russell→

nominee-director · ~90y · appointed 1994-07-18 · resigned 1994-07-19

Resigned

FIELDSEND, Kenneth Frederick→

director · ~99y · appointed 1994-07-25 · resigned 2001-02-20

Resigned

SCOTT, Andrew Duncan→

director · ~73y · appointed 1994-07-25 · resigned 2006-03-30

Resigned

SMITH, Anthony Clifford→

director · ~59y · appointed 1998-07-16 · resigned 2000-09-11

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown

		Type	Properties
outstanding	Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)	A registered charge	—	07/11/2019	—
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Royal Bank of Scotland PLC	Debenture	1 property	20/07/2009	11/12/2019
satisfied	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Debenture	1 property	10/06/1996	20/11/2009

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.