APC MANCHESTER LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03607950 · ltd · incorporated 1998-07-31
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
£130.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Unlicenced Carrier
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. 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 -71% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 24.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
87 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 £130,749
Net assets shrinking
Down £149,791 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 71% YoY
Cash YoY
-71%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£45k
↓ 71% YoY
Net Worth
£131k
↓ 53% YoY
Current Assets
£409k
↓ 30% 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 | £130.7k | £280.5k |
| Current assets | £408.8k | £585.7k |
| Cash | £45.2k | £156.2k |
| Debtors | £363.5k | £429.6k |
| Net assets | £130.7k | £280.5k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-19📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-14📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-20📄capital-alter-shares-redemption-statement-of-capitalcapital · SH02
- 2020-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2007-03-15➖GILL, Peter Derek resigneddirector
- 2003-06-11➕HARDY, Iain Macdonald appointedsecretary
- 2003-06-11➖MITCHELL, Ailison Louise resignedsecretary
- 2002-01-31🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) Limited
- 1999-11-17➖HUDSON, Alan Edmund Wilchen resignedsecretary
- 1999-11-17➕MITCHELL, Ailison Louise appointedsecretary
- 1999-09-28➕GILL, Peter Derek appointeddirector
- 1998-07-31🏢Company incorporatedAs APC MANCHESTER LIMITED
- 1998-07-31➕ABEL, Robert Quentin appointeddirector
- 1998-07-31➕HUDSON, Alan Edmund Wilchen 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 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 Robert Quentin Abel Individual · British · DOB 01/1961 · age 65 | 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.
🔒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 · Transport & logistics · SK postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A W PILOTSERVICES LIMITED→ 11186531 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ANDREW'S OF TIDESWELL LIMITED→ 01781097 · est 1983 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 42y | — | — |
| ANT MAN LIMITED→ 16641150 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANT'S AUTO MOBILES (FERGIE FLEET) LTD→ 14251631 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| APACHE MARINE SERVICES LTD→ 14029394 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| APEDALE VALLEY LIGHT RAILWAY LTD→ 07164444 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ARIKARA LIMITED→ 16467240 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARM COURIER LIMITED→ 16275519 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARMSTRONG AVIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED→ 12271783 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ASAP LOGISTICS UK LIMITED→ 03224526 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| ASAPPCARS LTD→ 11489939 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ASHLEY LEGACY DRIVING LTD→ 15853268 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1998-07-31
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC53202 — Unlicenced Carrier
Registered office
Westminster House
10 Westminster Road
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 1BX
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-14
Last: 2025-07-31
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
HARDY, Iain Macdonald→
Activesecretary · appointed 2003-06-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ABEL, Robert Quentin→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 1998-07-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HUDSON, Alan Edmund Wilchen→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-07-31 · resigned 1999-11-17
MITCHELL, Ailison Louise→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-11-17 · resigned 2003-06-11
GILL, Peter Derek→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 1999-09-28 · resigned 2007-03-15
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) Limited | Fixed charge on purchased debts which fail to vest | 1 property | 31/01/2002 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (87 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-19
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-11-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-14
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-08-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-02
capital-alter-shares-redemption-statement-of-capital
capital · SH02
2020-11-20