A.E. HUGHES & SONS (CONTRACTS) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03372932 · ltd · incorporated 1997-05-19
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 May 2025
Net worth
£310.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Roofing activities
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Special-situation opportunityDistressed construction with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 8.7y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 8.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
80 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £310,220
Net assets shrinking
Down £139,041 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£310k
↓ 31% YoY
Current Assets
£396k
↓ 35% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £384.6k | £539.4k |
| Current assets | £395.9k | £607.0k |
| Net assets | £310.2k | £449.3k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-07📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2025-05-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-29📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2024-05-01📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2024-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-30📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2023-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-30📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2017-11-23🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2017-10-09📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2017-10-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2017-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2000-09-01➕ROBERTS, Philip Charles George appointedsecretary
- 2000-09-01➖ROBERTS, Peter George Henry resignedsecretary
- 1997-06-18➕ROBERTS, Nigel Peter appointeddirector
- 1997-06-18➕ROBERTS, Peter George Henry appointedsecretary
- 1997-06-18➖LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-06-18➖LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1997-05-19🏢Company incorporatedAs A.E. HUGHES & SONS (CONTRACTS) LIMITED
- 1997-05-19➕LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-05-19➕LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
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 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
80/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. 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 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.
Red flags
1 high ·Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-06-02
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Nigel Peter Roberts Individual · British · DOB 09/1964 · age 62 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 01/07/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Construction · GU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 COUNTIES ELECTRICAL & HVAC LIMITED→ 15846634 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AC KITCHEN & BATHROOM FITTERS LIMITED→ 15012214 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACB BUSBAR LTD→ 16261273 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACJ ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS LIMITED→ 09631962 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 09653980 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACORN DEVELOPMENTS (SURREY) LIMITED→ 17030831 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTUATE ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 09553012 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACW RIGGING SERVICES LTD→ 16393946 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADAPT PROPERTY SOLUTIONS LTD→ 12963821 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ADDISON GLASS & WINDSCREENS LTD→ 01206705 · est 1975 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| ADELINE HELP SERVICES LIMITED→ 15358698 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADEX DEMOLITION SERVICES LIMITED→ 07940194 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-05-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43910 — Roofing activities
Registered office
Pentland Farley Heath
Albury
Guildford
Surrey
GU5 9EW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-02OVERDUE
Last: 2025-05-19
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
ROBERTS, Philip Charles George→
Activesecretary · appointed 2000-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ROBERTS, Nigel Peter→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 1997-06-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ROBERTS, Peter George Henry→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-06-18 · resigned 2000-09-01
LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-05-19 · resigned 1997-06-18
LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-05-19 · resigned 1997-06-18
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 23/11/2017 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 09/10/2017 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (80 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-09
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2025-05-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-06
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2025-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-24
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2024-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-04-30
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2024-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-02-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-02-25