AXXELL LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03241493 · ltd · incorporated 1996-08-23
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£2.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Information technology consultancy activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
91 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 £2,843
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£3k
↑ 154% YoY
Current Assets
£7k
↓ 39% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £2.8k | £1.1k |
| Current assets | £6.6k | £10.7k |
| Net assets | £2.8k | £1.1k |
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
2
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-03-19📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2008-09-16➕BARKER, Deborah appointedsecretary
- 2008-09-15➖COWLEY, Julia resignedsecretary
- 2008-01-01➕COWLEY, Julia appointedsecretary
- 2007-12-31➖SEYMOUR MACINTYRE LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2006-03-31➖BARKER, Deborah Margaret resigneddirector
- 1999-01-01➕BARKER, John Philip appointeddirector
- 1996-08-23🏢Company incorporatedAs AXXELL LIMITED
- 1996-08-23➕SEYMOUR MACINTYRE LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 1996-08-23➕BARKER, Deborah Margaret appointeddirector
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 30 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 John Philip Barker Individual · British · DOB 06/1950 · age 76 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr John Philip Barkerceased 01/01/2026· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Technology · SP postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A SQUARED PROJECTS LIMITED→ 15774335 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALL THE WRITE STUFF LIMITED→ 05638553 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ALL YOUR BASE LTD→ 13317979 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AMBER DESAI LTD→ 16484584 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASTONISH EMAIL LIMITED→ 08605617 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ASYSTED CONSULTING LTD→ 07802180 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AUTHENTIC STYLE LTD→ 06890587 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AUTONOM SERVICES LTD→ 15787095 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AYCER IT SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 08328167 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AZANIA LTD→ 07732108 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AZIMUTH PARTNERS LTD→ 16360004 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AZURE FILMS LIMITED→ 09674371 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1996-08-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC62020 — Information technology consultancy activities
Registered office
6 Cottonworth Cottages
Cottonworth
Andover
Hampshire
SP11 7JY
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-06
Last: 2025-08-23
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
Active
BARKER, John Philip→
Activedirector · ~76y · appointed 1999-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COWLEY, Julia→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2008-01-01 · resigned 2008-09-15
SEYMOUR MACINTYRE LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 1996-08-23 · resigned 2007-12-31
BARKER, Deborah Margaret→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 1996-08-23 · resigned 2006-03-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (91 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-03-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-11