APPLE SOUND LTD

💤Zombieactive
03131505 · ltd · incorporated 1995-11-28
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
£220.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 64). 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

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 23.9y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 23.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · 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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
107 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 £220,551
Cash YoY
+35%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£91k
↑ 35% YoY
Net Worth
£221k
↑ 73% YoY
Current Assets
£273k
↑ 42% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£55k£109k£164k£219k£273kApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Total assets£296.9k£153.0k
Current assets£273.5k£193.0k
Cash£91.4k£67.7k
Debtors£149.0k£87.5k
Net assets£220.6k£127.8k

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 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-04-09
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  4. 2024-04-09
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  5. 2024-04-09
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  6. 2024-04-04
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2024-03-02
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  8. 2024-03-02
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  9. 2024-02-28
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  10. 2024-02-26
    ➖
    BROWN, Philip Roy resigned
    director
  11. 2024-01-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2023-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2022-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2022-01-07
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  15. 2022-01-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  16. 2021-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2020-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-05-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  20. 2018-05-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  21. 2017-10-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Bibby Financial Services LTD (As Security Trustee)
  22. 2011-02-14
    ➕
    BROWN, Timothy John appointed
    secretary
  23. 2011-02-14
    ➖
    MALKIN, Richard Edward John resigned
    secretary
  24. 2011-02-14
    ➖
    GARSTON, Paul Michael resigned
    director
  25. 2011-02-14
    ➖
    MALKIN, Richard Edward John resigned
    director
  26. 2011-02-14
    ➖
    ROBERTS, John Meirion resigned
    director
  27. 2008-03-14
    ➖
    BROWN, Timothy John resigned
    secretary
  28. 2008-03-14
    ➕
    MALKIN, Richard Edward John appointed
    secretary
  29. 2008-03-14
    ➕
    GARSTON, Paul Michael appointed
    director
  30. 2008-03-14
    ➕
    MALKIN, Richard Edward John appointed
    director
  31. 2008-03-14
    ➕
    ROBERTS, John Meirion appointed
    director
  32. 2007-01-11
    ➖
    BENSON, Charles Mandell resigned
    secretary
  33. 2007-01-11
    ➕
    BROWN, Timothy John appointed
    secretary
  34. 2002-08-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: First National Invoice Finance LTD
  35. 1995-11-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As APPLE SOUND LTD
  36. 1995-11-28
    ➕
    BROWN, Timothy John appointed
    director
  37. 1995-11-28
    ➕
    BENSON, Charles Mandell appointed
    secretary
  38. 1995-11-28
    ➕
    BROWN, Philip Roy appointed
    director

Owner dependency

93/100
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 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. 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 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 31 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.)

Group structure

Tourguide Systems Limited holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.

🏛️
Tourguide Systems Limited
Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares
significant stake
⬇
APPLE SOUND LTD
This company · 03131505

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Tourguide Systems Limited
Corporate entity
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting26/02/2024
Mr Timothy John Brown
Individual · British · DOB 03/1962 · age 64
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Philip Roy Brownceased 26/02/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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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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
Incorporated1995-11-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

6 St. Johns Court
Vicars Lane
Chester
Cheshire
CH1 1QE

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-12
Last: 2025-11-28

Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)

BROWN, Timothy John→
secretary · appointed 2011-02-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BROWN, Timothy John→
director · ~64y · appointed 1995-11-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BENSON, Charles Mandell→
secretary · appointed 1995-11-28 · resigned 2007-01-11
Resigned
BROWN, Timothy John→
secretary · appointed 2007-01-11 · resigned 2008-03-14
Resigned
MALKIN, Richard Edward John→
secretary · appointed 2008-03-14 · resigned 2011-02-14
Resigned
BROWN, Philip Roy→
director · ~67y · appointed 1995-11-28 · resigned 2024-02-26
Resigned
GARSTON, Paul Michael→
director · ~56y · appointed 2008-03-14 · resigned 2011-02-14
Resigned
MALKIN, Richard Edward John→
director · ~46y · appointed 2008-03-14 · resigned 2011-02-14
Resigned
ROBERTS, John Meirion→
director · ~56y · appointed 2008-03-14 · resigned 2011-02-14
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Bibby Financial Services
Bibby Financial Services LTD (As Security Trustee)
A registered charge4 properties19/10/201709/04/2024
satisfied
First National Invoice Finance
First National Invoice Finance LTD
Fixed and floating charge on book and other debts2 properties07/08/200207/01/2022

Recent filings (107 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-03
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2024-04-09
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-04-09
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-04-04
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-03-02
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-03-02
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-28