AGF BUSINESS SERVICES LTD
💤Zombieactive
03446063 · ltd · incorporated 1997-10-07
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 Sept 2025
Net worth
£8.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 78-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 78). 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 (78/100)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
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
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
65 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £8,415
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,095 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£8k
↓ 12% YoY
Current Assets
£8k
↓ 8.4% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £8.4k | £9.5k |
| Current assets | £7.9k | £8.6k |
| Net assets | £8.4k | £9.5k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-25📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2021-10-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-16📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-10-16📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2017-01-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-14➖BELSHAW, Alistair Barton resignedsecretary
- 2015-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 1997-10-07🏢Company incorporatedAs AGF BUSINESS SERVICES LTD
- 1997-10-07➕FAULKNER, Adrian Gordon appointeddirector
- 1997-10-07➕BELSHAW, Alistair Barton appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
100/100
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
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 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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 Adrian Gordon Faulkner Individual · British · DOB 07/1948 · age 78 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 01/10/2016 |
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 · Professional services · LA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32WEST LTD→ 11344807 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACTIVE BUSINESS CONSULTING LTD→ 03954626 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ADE PARENT LIMITED→ 12071175 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADTECHOPTIMA LIMITED→ 15786223 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADVANCED STAFFING SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16876354 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AFL CREDIT & FINANCE LIMITED→ 04223936 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AIG TECHNICAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 13271250 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AJ LAKES LTD→ 12427133 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AJP CHEFS LTD→ 14066678 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AJS ENGINEERING LTD→ 14699756 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AKENGINEERINGMANAGEMENTSERVICES LTD→ 16153944 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AKO GROUP LIMITED→ 13677573 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-10-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Registered office
2 Thwaites Howe
116 Craig Walk, Bowness On
Windermere, Windermere
Cumbria
LA23 3AX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-21
Last: 2025-10-07
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
FAULKNER, Adrian Gordon→
Activedirector · ~78y · appointed 1997-10-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BELSHAW, Alistair Barton→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-10-07 · resigned 2016-11-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (65 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-10-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-19
withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
2021-12-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-21