1ST OPTION LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02979561 · ltd · incorporated 1994-10-17
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 17230
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). 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 25.9y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 25.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
87 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 600 | 600 |
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 (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-18📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-05-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-04-30➖DAY, Alan David resigneddirector
- 2021-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-03-24📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2016-03-24📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2014-07-04🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2013-07-01🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC
- 2008-01-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Sme Invoice Finance Limited
- 2003-08-31➕DAY, Alan David appointeddirector
- 2003-08-31➖WILLIAMS, Ella Christine resigneddirector
- 2002-02-28➖CATFORD, Andrew Maxwell resigneddirector
- 2000-06-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 1999-03-01➕WILLIAMS, Ella Christine appointeddirector
- 1994-10-17🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST OPTION LIMITED
- 1994-10-17➕CRUMPLIN, Nicholas Macdonald appointedsecretary
- 1994-10-17➕CRUMPLIN, Nicholas Macdonald appointeddirector
- 1994-10-17➕LAWSON, Andrew appointednominee-secretary
- 1994-10-17➖LAWSON, Andrew resignednominee-secretary
- 1994-10-17➕CATFORD, Andrew Maxwell appointeddirector
- 1994-10-17➕BLACKFRIAR COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1994-10-17➖BLACKFRIAR COMPANY SERVICES 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 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
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 65. 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 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
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 Nicholas Macdonald Crumplin Individual · British · DOB 03/1961 · age 65 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 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 · Manufacturing · CR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 16362373 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 3001 RBT LTD→ 09818347 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 3DPARTPRINTER LTD→ 15633192 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 4NG LIMITED→ 10676596 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 5 STAR GLOBAL TRADING LTD→ 10342867 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A IDEAL PRODUCTS (UK) LTD→ 09853708 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| A.LARKIN(CONCRETE)LIMITED→ 00566225 · est 1956 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 69y | — | — |
| A1 HOME SERVICES LTD→ 04645059 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| AAL LIFT SERVICES LTD→ 14672814 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABBEY DENTAL SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 16137719 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABYSSINIAN BEAUTY PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 12802038 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ACADEMY HAIR AND BEAUTY (UK) LTD→ 03364564 · est 1997 · 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
Incorporated1994-10-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC17230 — SIC 17230
Registered office
Rear Office
12-14 High Street
Caterham
Surrey
CR3 5UA
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last: 2025-10-17
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
CRUMPLIN, Nicholas Macdonald→
Activesecretary · appointed 1994-10-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CRUMPLIN, Nicholas Macdonald→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 1994-10-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LAWSON, Andrew→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1994-10-17 · resigned 1994-10-17
CATFORD, Andrew Maxwell→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 1994-10-17 · resigned 2002-02-28
DAY, Alan David→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2003-08-31 · resigned 2021-04-30
WILLIAMS, Ella Christine→
Resigneddirector · ~90y · appointed 1999-03-01 · resigned 2003-08-31
BLACKFRIAR COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1994-10-17 · resigned 1994-10-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Hitachi Capital (UK) Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 01/07/2013 | — | |
| outstanding | Sme Invoice Finance Sme Invoice Finance Limited | Debenture | 1 property | 29/01/2008 | — | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 20/06/2000 | 04/07/2014 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (87 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-09-30
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-05-18
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-31