BIRCH SHEET METAL LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

03254160 · ltd · incorporated 1996-09-24

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 Jul 2025

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

75/100

Strong

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 25990

Sector: Manufacturing

Investor take

Pursue

Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 23.2y

30/100

under pressure

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

· Oldest live charge is 23.2 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

Lenders & charges

2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)

Directors & officers

13 officers (1 active, 13 linked, 7 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared

Director network

1 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

123 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

75/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

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

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Some acquirability indicators.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

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	2025-07-31	2024-07-31
Average employees	1000	1000

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

filings

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (48 events)Click to expand

2025-12-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-19
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-01-13
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-15
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-11-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-24
➕
PRATT, Neil appointed
director
2021-12-24
➖
HODGSON, Allison resigned
director
2021-12-24
➖
HODGSON, Andrew resigned
director
2021-12-24
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-12-24
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-12-24
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2021-12-24
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-12-24
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-12-24
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-12-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-14
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-12-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-08-23
📄
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2019-08-23
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2019-06-03
➖
STABLER, Dennis resigned
secretary
2018-05-17
➖
STABLER, Dennis resigned
director
2018-05-17
➖
STABLER, Lisbeth resigned
director
2010-10-21
➕
HODGSON, Allison appointed
director
2010-10-21
➕
STABLER, Lisbeth appointed
director
2005-03-09
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2005-03-09
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2003-07-10
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
2003-03-11
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Venture Finance PLC
2003-03-10
➖
GOODWIN, Katherine resigned
secretary
2003-03-10
➕
LATHAM, Alistair Ian Manson appointed
secretary
2003-03-10
➖
LATHAM, Alistair Ian Manson resigned
secretary
2003-03-10
➕
STABLER, Dennis appointed
secretary
2003-03-10
➕
HODGSON, Andrew appointed
director
2003-03-10
➖
TARBOTTON, David Peter resigned
director
2003-03-10
➖
TARBOTTON, Keith resigned
director
2001-01-01
➕
GOODWIN, Katherine appointed
secretary
2000-12-31
➖
BENTHAM, Brenda Margaret resigned
secretary
1999-09-15
➕
STABLER, Dennis appointed
director
1996-09-25
➕
BENTHAM, Brenda Margaret appointed
secretary
1996-09-25
➖
OTSC (SECRETARIES) LIMITED resigned
corporate-secretary
1996-09-25
➕
TARBOTTON, David Peter appointed
director
1996-09-25
➕
TARBOTTON, Keith appointed
director
1996-09-25
➖
OTSC (DIRECTORS) LIMITED resigned
corporate-director
1996-09-24
🏢
Company incorporated
As BIRCH SHEET METAL LIMITED
1996-09-24
➕
OTSC (SECRETARIES) LIMITED appointed
corporate-secretary
1996-09-24
➕
OTSC (DIRECTORS) LIMITED appointed
corporate-director

Owner dependency

75/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

+Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

55/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

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

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

🏛️

Metal Yard Limited

Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares

ultimate parent

⬇

BIRCH SHEET METAL LIMITED

This company · 03254160

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
Metal Yard Limited Corporate entity	75–100%	75–100%	75-100% shares · 75-100% voting	24/12/2021

4 historic (ceased) PSCs

Mrs Allison Hodgsonceased 24/12/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
Mr Andrew Hodgsonceased 24/12/2021· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting
Mrs Lisbeth Stablerceased 17/05/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
Mr Dennis Stablerceased 17/05/2018· 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 →

Similar companies

Active · Manufacturing · HU postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
BLACKIE AND TREASURE DICKINSON LIMITED→ 04826449 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—
BLADE RESTORE LTD→ 15483549 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
BLADETEAM LIMITED→ 15301014 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
BLINDS WITH BLU LIMITED→ 16839650 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
BLINDS WORKSHOP LTD→ 07584108 · est 2011 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—
BLOK BUILD LTD→ 09905769 · est 2015 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—
BLUE OVAL CREATIVE LIMITED→ 06576669 · est 2008 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	—	—
BLUE RIVER GROUP (UK) LTD→ 06827736 · est 2009 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	—	—
BLUE STAR PATTERN TOYS LTD→ 09229848 · est 2014 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	11y	—	—
BLUESENG LIMITED→ 06820861 · est 2009 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	—	—
BLUESKY UPHOLSTERY LIMITED→ 10738636 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
BM CONTROLS LTD→ 06866908 · est 2009 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	—	—

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

Incorporated1996-09-24

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990

Registered office

Swing Bridge Yard

Wincolmlee

Hull

HU5 1RH

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-04-30

Last made up to: 2025-07-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-10-08

Last: 2025-09-24

Officers (1 active · 12 resigned)

PRATT, Neil→

director · ~49y · appointed 2021-12-24

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BENTHAM, Brenda Margaret→

secretary · appointed 1996-09-25 · resigned 2000-12-31

Resigned

GOODWIN, Katherine→

secretary · appointed 2001-01-01 · resigned 2003-03-10

Resigned

LATHAM, Alistair Ian Manson→

secretary · appointed 2003-03-10 · resigned 2003-03-10

Resigned

STABLER, Dennis→

secretary · appointed 2003-03-10 · resigned 2019-06-03

Resigned

OTSC (SECRETARIES) LIMITED→

corporate-secretary · appointed 1996-09-24 · resigned 1996-09-25

Resigned

HODGSON, Allison→

director · ~60y · appointed 2010-10-21 · resigned 2021-12-24

Resigned

HODGSON, Andrew→

director · ~64y · appointed 2003-03-10 · resigned 2021-12-24

Resigned

STABLER, Dennis→

director · ~72y · appointed 1999-09-15 · resigned 2018-05-17

Resigned

STABLER, Lisbeth→

director · ~71y · appointed 2010-10-21 · resigned 2018-05-17

Resigned

TARBOTTON, David Peter→

director · ~62y · appointed 1996-09-25 · resigned 2003-03-10

Resigned

TARBOTTON, Keith→

director · ~90y · appointed 1996-09-25 · resigned 2003-03-10

Resigned

OTSC (DIRECTORS) LIMITED→

corporate-director · appointed 1996-09-24 · resigned 1996-09-25

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown

			Type	Properties
	satisfied	HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC	Debenture	1 property	10/07/2003	09/03/2005
	satisfied	Venture Finance Venture Finance PLC	Debenture	1 property	11/03/2003	09/03/2005

Recent filings (123 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2025-12-05

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2025-09-29

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2025-06-19

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2025-01-13

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2024-10-01

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2023-11-15

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2023-09-28

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2023-09-28

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2022-11-16

confirmation-statement-with-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2022-09-26

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2021-12-24

appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date

officers · AP01

2021-12-24

notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control

persons-with-significant-control · PSC02

2021-12-24

cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control

persons-with-significant-control · PSC07

2021-12-24

cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control

persons-with-significant-control · PSC07

2021-12-24