A.E.T. LTD
💤Zombieactive
03461518 · ltd · incorporated 1997-11-06
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
£651.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
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 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -93% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · oldest 15.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
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
72 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £651,347
Net assets shrinking
Down £13,757 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 93% YoY
Cash YoY
-93%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£9k
↓ 93% YoY
Net Worth
£651k
↓ 2.1% YoY
Current Assets
£34k
↓ 78% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £830.8k | £832.2k |
| Current assets | £34.0k | £154.6k |
| Cash | £9.4k | £131.4k |
| Debtors | £15.9k | £11.7k |
| Net assets | £651.3k | £665.1k |
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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-24📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2018-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-20📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-04📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2015-02-18🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2015-01-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-13🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2012-10-30🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2011-03-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2010-05-31➖ETHERINGTON, Susan Jayne resignedsecretary
- 1997-11-06🏢Company incorporatedAs A.E.T. LTD
- 1997-11-06➕ETHERINGTON, Alan John appointeddirector
- 1997-11-06➕ETHERINGTON, Susan Jayne appointedsecretary
- 1997-11-06➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-11-06➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-11-06➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1997-11-06➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
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 65. 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 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 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 Alan John Etherington Individual · British · DOB 07/1961 · age 65 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/11/2016 |
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 · Trade services · DL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 DISPLAYS LIMITED→ 10454989 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 2-1-3 (GLOBAL)INVESTIGATIONS AND CONSULTANCY LTD→ 13957860 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 44 NORTH LIMITED→ 00029325 · est 1889 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 136y | — | — |
| 5 ACRES CANINE LTD→ 14594238 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 5 STARS BARBER LTD→ 16914941 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 555INC LTD→ 16752211 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 999 FIRE AND SAFETY LTD→ 08787749 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| A & B INDUSTRIAL CLEANING LIMITED→ 05976687 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A1 BUILDING & MAINTENANCE LTD→ 12791314 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A1 COMMUNITY WORKS LIMITED→ 04710728 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| A1 TANK SERVICES LIMITED→ 06267133 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| A1M LOCKSMITHS LIMITED→ 10231387 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated1997-11-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Todhills Farm
Todhills
Bishop Auckland
County Durham
DL14 8BB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-30
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-20
Last: 2025-11-06
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
ETHERINGTON, Alan John→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 1997-11-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ETHERINGTON, Susan Jayne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-11-06 · resigned 2010-05-31
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-11-06 · resigned 1997-11-06
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-11-06 · resigned 1997-11-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/02/2015 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 13/10/2014 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 30/10/2012 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 18/03/2011 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (72 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-03-11
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2019-12-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-14