ABLE CRANE SERVICES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
03333569 · ltd · incorporated 1997-03-14
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company 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. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
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
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
83 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.
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1400 | 1400 |
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 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-05-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-05-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-05-15📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-05-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-14📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-09-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-09-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-07-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-03-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-28📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2022-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-05📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-06-16➕GALLOP, Judith Anne appointeddirector
- 1998-08-21➕CLARK, Ian Michael appointedsecretary
- 1998-08-21➖ASHMORE, Christopher John resignedsecretary
- 1998-08-21➖ASHMORE, Christopher John resigneddirector
- 1997-03-14🏢Company incorporatedAs ABLE CRANE SERVICES LIMITED
- 1997-03-14➕GALLOP, Ian Edward appointeddirector
- 1997-03-14➕ASHMORE, Christopher John appointedsecretary
- 1997-03-14➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-03-14➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-03-14➕ASHMORE, Christopher John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
91/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
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.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Judith Anne Gallop Individual · British · DOB 02/1951 · age 75 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 15/08/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Ian Edward Gallopceased 07/09/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Trade services · IP postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28BADDIES LTD→ 17036144 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 ACTS LIFE COACHING LTD→ 15390025 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 5K CLEANING CO. LTD→ 16513414 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A C REFRIGERATION (EAST ANGLIA) LIMITED→ 06280481 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| A CUT BARBER LTD→ 12979222 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABACUS CLEANING EAST ANGLIA LTD→ 06820362 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ABBEY FIRE & SECURITY LTD→ 07045599 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ABBEYSCAPE LANDSCAPING AND DRIVEWAYS LIMITED→ 16600671 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABCS1 LTD→ 17111330 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABEL ENERGY LIMITED→ 16735687 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABM CONTRACT SERVICES LTD→ 14748969 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABOUNDING PROPERTIES LTD→ 15631740 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-03-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
First Floor Suite
2 Hillside Business Park
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP32 7EA
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-28
Last: 2026-03-14
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
CLARK, Ian Michael→
Activesecretary · appointed 1998-08-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GALLOP, Ian Edward→
Activedirector · ~76y · appointed 1997-03-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GALLOP, Judith Anne→
Activedirector · ~75y · appointed 2021-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ASHMORE, Christopher John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-03-14 · resigned 1998-08-21
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-03-14 · resigned 1997-03-14
ASHMORE, Christopher John→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 1997-03-14 · resigned 1998-08-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (83 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-05-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-05-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-05-15
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-05-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-05-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-03-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-03-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-07
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-12