ALASTAIR BURNS & CO LTD.

🌳Matureactive
03566574 · ltd · incorporated 1998-05-19
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 69-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 69). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

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, 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
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
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
80 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.

Key financials

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

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Average employees00

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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 address
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-16
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  2. 2026-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-01-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-06-21
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2021-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-09-07
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  10. 2020-06-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2020-02-11
    ➖
    ANOVA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  12. 2020-01-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-01-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-01-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-06-09
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2014-05-19
    ➕
    ANOVA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  18. 2014-05-19
    ➖
    RT SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  19. 2005-04-29
    ➕
    RT SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  20. 2004-10-28
    ➕
    BURNS, Denise Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  21. 2004-10-28
    ➖
    RT SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  22. 1998-05-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ALASTAIR BURNS & CO LTD.
  23. 1998-05-19
    ➕
    BURNS, Alastair John Simpson appointed
    director
  24. 1998-05-19
    ➕
    BURNS, Denise Elizabeth appointed
    director
  25. 1998-05-19
    ➕
    CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 1998-05-19
    ➖
    CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 1998-05-19
    ➕
    RT SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary

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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BURNS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 69 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
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 69. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • 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

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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alastair John Simpson Burns
Individual · British · DOB 03/1958 · age 68
50–75%
—50-75% shares01/07/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1998-05-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management

Registered office

2 Piries Place
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 1EH
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-02
Last: 2026-05-19

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

BURNS, Denise Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2004-10-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BURNS, Alastair John Simpson→
director · ~68y · appointed 1998-05-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BURNS, Denise Elizabeth→
director · ~69y · appointed 1998-05-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ANOVA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2014-05-19 · resigned 2020-02-11
Resigned
CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-05-19 · resigned 1998-05-19
Resigned
RT SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2005-04-29 · resigned 2014-05-19
Resigned
RT SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1998-05-19 · resigned 2004-10-28
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (80 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-01-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-01-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-06-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-01-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2020-09-07