ADEPT SYSTEMS (HULL) LTD
💤Zombieactive
03464417 · ltd · incorporated 1997-11-12
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
£38.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Wired telecommunications activities
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 62012Business and domestic software development
- 62020Information technology consultancy activities
- 62030Computer facilities management activities
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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: strategic trade sale (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 24.5y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.5 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, 4 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
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
89 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £38,523
Net assets shrinking
Down £11,426 YoY
Cash YoY
-26%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£36k
↓ 26% YoY
Net Worth
£39k
↓ 23% YoY
Current Assets
£83k
↑ 7.4% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £44.5k | £62.9k |
| Current assets | £83.0k | £77.3k |
| Cash | £35.7k | £48.6k |
| Debtors | £45.3k | £23.4k |
| Net assets | £38.5k | £49.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-20📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-07-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2016-05-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-18📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2015-06-18🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2015-05-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-13📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2008-06-20➖SOWERBY, Kathryn Louise resignedsecretary
- 2008-01-21➕SOWERBY, Kathryn Louise appointedsecretary
- 2001-11-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1999-11-03➕SWAINSTON, Robert Anthony Piers appointedsecretary
- 1999-11-03➖RIX, Lisa Christine resignedsecretary
- 1999-11-03➖RIX, Lisa Christine resigneddirector
- 1999-08-17➕RIX, Lisa Christine appointedsecretary
- 1999-03-01➕RIX, Lisa Christine appointeddirector
- 1998-11-28➖SMITH, Emma Jane resignedsecretary
- 1997-11-16➕SMITH, Emma Jane appointedsecretary
- 1997-11-15➖LINE ONE LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-11-14➕SWAINSTON, Robert Matthew appointeddirector
- 1997-11-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ADEPT SYSTEMS (HULL) LTD
- 1997-11-12➕LINE ONE LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
85/100
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.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- 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 Robert Matthew Swainston Individual · British · DOB 01/1972 · age 54 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ACTIVE CYBER RESILIENCE LTD→ 15490165 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AD COMMS SERVICES LTD→ 16851431 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADDRSS LTD→ 15888455 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADEXR TECHNOLOGIES LTD→ 16529318 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADH IT CONSULTING LIMITED→ 14927990 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-11-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC61100 — Wired telecommunications activities
Registered office
19-20 Wright Street
Hull
East Yorkshire
HU2 8HU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-26
Last: 2025-11-12
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
SWAINSTON, Robert Anthony Piers→
Activesecretary · appointed 1999-11-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SWAINSTON, Robert Matthew→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 1997-11-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RIX, Lisa Christine→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-08-17 · resigned 1999-11-03
SMITH, Emma Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-11-16 · resigned 1998-11-28
SOWERBY, Kathryn Louise→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2008-01-21 · resigned 2008-06-20
LINE ONE LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-11-12 · resigned 1997-11-15
RIX, Lisa Christine→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 1999-03-01 · resigned 1999-11-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 13/07/2016 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 16/11/2001 | 18/06/2015 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (89 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-05-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-09-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2018-11-27