ABD CERAMICS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03385913 · ltd · incorporated 1997-06-12
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 Oct 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). 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 27.8y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 27.8 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
78 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.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Oct 2024Oct 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-10-312024-10-31
Average employees9900

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-09-03
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  3. 2025-09-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2025-09-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2025-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2025-03-27
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  7. 2025-03-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  8. 2024-03-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-07-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-07-30
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  16. 2017-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2016-07-08
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2002-03-12
    ➕
    YATES, Anne appointed
    secretary
  19. 2002-03-12
    ➖
    YATES, Anthony Bryan resigned
    secretary
  20. 2002-03-12
    ➖
    WALSH, David resigned
    director
  21. 1998-09-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Co-Operative Bank PLC
  22. 1997-06-12
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ABD CERAMICS LIMITED
  23. 1997-06-12
    ➕
    YATES, Anthony Bryan appointed
    director
  24. 1997-06-12
    ➕
    YATES, Anthony Bryan appointed
    secretary
  25. 1997-06-12
    ➕
    BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 1997-06-12
    ➖
    BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 1997-06-12
    ➕
    WALSH, David appointed
    director
  28. 1997-06-12
    ➕
    BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  29. 1997-06-12
    ➖
    BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
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 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • 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.
  • 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 Anthony Bryan Yates
Individual · British · DOB 01/1960 · age 66
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1997-06-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43999 — Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Unit 12 Riverside Waters Meeting Road
Bolton
Lancashire
BL1 8TU
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-24
Last: 2025-07-10

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

YATES, Anne→
secretary · appointed 2002-03-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
YATES, Anthony Bryan→
director · ~66y · appointed 1997-06-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
YATES, Anthony Bryan→
secretary · appointed 1997-06-12 · resigned 2002-03-12
Resigned
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-06-12 · resigned 1997-06-12
Resigned
WALSH, David→
director · ~66y · appointed 1997-06-12 · resigned 2002-03-12
Resigned
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-06-12 · resigned 1997-06-12
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
Co-operative Bank
The Co-Operative Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property09/09/199827/03/2025

Recent filings (78 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-09
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-09-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-09-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-29
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-21