APACHE MULTIMEDIA LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03401485 · ltd · incorporated 1997-07-10
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
£1.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other information technology service activities
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 90020Support activities to performing arts
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 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 (2 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
82 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £1,906
Net assets shrinking
Down £6,079 YoY
Cash YoY
-20%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£7k
↓ 20% YoY
Net Worth
£2k
↓ 76% YoY
Current Assets
£8k
↓ 13% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £2.0k | £8.3k |
| Current assets | £8.3k | £9.6k |
| Cash | £7.3k | £9.2k |
| Debtors | £1.0k | £438 |
| Net assets | £1.9k | £8.0k |
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 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2016-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-08📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AAMD
- 2015-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-08-06📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2003-01-16➕WREN ACCOUNTING LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2003-01-16➖WATTS, Stephen James resignedsecretary
- 2003-01-16➖WATTS, Deborah resigneddirector
- 1997-07-28➕WATTS, Stephen James appointeddirector
- 1997-07-28➕WATTS, Stephen James appointedsecretary
- 1997-07-28➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-07-28➕WATTS, Deborah appointeddirector
- 1997-07-28➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1997-07-10🏢Company incorporatedAs APACHE MULTIMEDIA LIMITED
- 1997-07-10➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-07-10➕INSTANT COMPANIES 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 64 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. 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
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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Stephen James Watts Individual · British · DOB 10/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Technology · AL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&T MARKETING GROUP LTD→ 13545955 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ARRAYSOFT LTD→ 13584346 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ART TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED→ 12560270 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ART, SCIENCE AND MAGIC LIMITED→ 12771712 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AS HERTS CONSULTING LTD→ 13667319 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ASDEE SCENERY AND PROPMAKERS LTD→ 10282166 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ASL CONSULTING SERVICES LTD→ 16313671 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ASPIRO EDTECH LIMITED→ 16481797 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASSIGN-IT LIMITED→ 04289206 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| ASTRA HEED LTD→ 15776572 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ASTRA TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED→ 07052030 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ASTRIX HEALTH LIMITED→ 16008940 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-07-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC62090 — Other information technology service activities
Registered office
Wren House
68 London Road
St Albans
Hertfordshire
AL1 1NG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-24
Last: 2025-07-10
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
WREN ACCOUNTING LIMITED→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 2003-01-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATTS, Stephen James→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 1997-07-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATTS, Stephen James→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-07-28 · resigned 2003-01-16
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-07-10 · resigned 1997-07-28
WATTS, Deborah→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 1997-07-28 · resigned 2003-01-16
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-07-10 · resigned 1997-07-28
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (82 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-21