AQUA KOTE SYSTEMS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03331754 · ltd · incorporated 1997-03-11
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
£56.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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

1 live charge · oldest 25.5y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 25.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

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
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
83 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 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £56,831

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£57k
↑ 6.5% YoY
Current Assets
£56k
↑ 5.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£11k£23k£34k£45k£57kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£56.8k£53.4k
Current assets£56.2k£53.2k
Net assets£56.8k£53.4k

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-08-12
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  3. 2025-08-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  4. 2024-10-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-09-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-12-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-10-13
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  14. 2016-09-16
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  15. 2016-09-15
    ➕
    METCALF, Sarah appointed
    secretary
  16. 2016-07-21
    ➖
    TUCKER, June resigned
    secretary
  17. 2016-07-21
    ➖
    TUCKER, James Gordon resigned
    director
  18. 2016-07-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  19. 2016-07-21
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  20. 2005-10-16
    ➖
    METCALF, Donald Joseph resigned
    director
  21. 2003-02-25
    ➕
    METCALF, Paul Richard appointed
    director
  22. 2001-06-02
    ➖
    HOLLAND, James Lindsay resigned
    director
  23. 2000-11-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  24. 2000-07-17
    ➕
    HOLLAND, James Lindsay appointed
    director
  25. 2000-07-17
    ➕
    METCALF, Donald Joseph appointed
    director
  26. 1997-03-17
    ➕
    TUCKER, June appointed
    secretary
  27. 1997-03-17
    ➖
    WATKINS, Margaret Mary resigned
    nominee-secretary
  28. 1997-03-17
    ➖
    MCCOLLUM, Angela Jean resigned
    nominee-director
  29. 1997-03-17
    ➕
    TUCKER, James Gordon appointed
    director
  30. 1997-03-11
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AQUA KOTE SYSTEMS LIMITED
  31. 1997-03-11
    ➕
    WATKINS, Margaret Mary appointed
    nominee-secretary
  32. 1997-03-11
    ➕
    MCCOLLUM, Angela Jean appointed
    nominee-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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Paul Richard Metcalf
Individual · British · DOB 10/1965 · age 61
75–100%
—75-100% shares04/08/2016

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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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
Incorporated1997-03-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.

Registered office

Riverside House
River Lawn Road
Tonbridge
Kent
TN9 1EP
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-25
Last: 2026-03-11

Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)

METCALF, Sarah→
secretary · appointed 2016-09-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
METCALF, Paul Richard→
director · ~61y · appointed 2003-02-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
TUCKER, June→
secretary · appointed 1997-03-17 · resigned 2016-07-21
Resigned
WATKINS, Margaret Mary→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-03-11 · resigned 1997-03-17
Resigned
HOLLAND, James Lindsay→
director · ~70y · appointed 2000-07-17 · resigned 2001-06-02
Resigned
MCCOLLUM, Angela Jean→
nominee-director · ~63y · appointed 1997-03-11 · resigned 1997-03-17
Resigned
METCALF, Donald Joseph→
director · ~85y · appointed 2000-07-17 · resigned 2005-10-16
Resigned
TUCKER, James Gordon→
director · ~87y · appointed 1997-03-17 · resigned 2016-07-21
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property27/11/200012/08/2025

Recent filings (83 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-11
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-08-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-30