A1 (SUSSEX) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

03810672 · ltd · incorporated 1999-07-21

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 Jul 2025

Net worth

£48.8k

book net assets

Opportunity

80/100

Exceptional

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade

Sector: Wholesale & retail

Investor take

Pursue

Asset-holding vehicle with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 76). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

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

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

3 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

77 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

80/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)

Positive net assets

Net assets £48,826

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

£49k

↑ 21% YoY

Current Assets

£41k

↑ 31% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)

Metric	2025-07-31	2024-07-31
Total assets	£48.8k	£40.4k
Current assets	£41.4k	£31.7k
Net assets	£48.8k	£40.4k

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

filings

Last 90 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand

2026-03-31
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-03-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-31
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-09-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-04-14
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-12
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2019-12-12
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2019-12-12
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-12-12
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-12-10
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2019-12-10
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2019-12-10
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-12-10
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-12-10
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2019-03-15
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2011-07-28
➕
BARNARD, Mark Anthony appointed
secretary
2011-07-28
➕
BARNARD, Mark Anthony appointed
director
2011-07-08
➖
BARNARD, Ann resigned
secretary
2011-07-08
➖
BARNARD, Ann resigned
director
2006-02-13
➖
BARNARD, Anthony resigned
director
2002-07-16
➕
BARNARD, Jennifer Mary appointed
director
1999-07-22
➕
BARNARD, Ann appointed
secretary
1999-07-22
➖
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
1999-07-22
➕
BARNARD, Ann appointed
director
1999-07-22
➕
BARNARD, Anthony appointed
director
1999-07-22
➖
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director
1999-07-21
🏢
Company incorporated
As A1 (SUSSEX) LIMITED
1999-07-21
➕
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
1999-07-21
➕
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

91/100

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.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 76 years old. Natural succession window is now.
secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 27 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

2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Mark Anthony Barnard Individual · British · DOB 12/1967 · age 59	75–100%	—	75-100% shares	27/07/2016
Mrs Jennifer Mary Barnard Individual · British · DOB 01/1950 · age 76	25–50%	—	25-50% shares	13/07/2017

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 · Wholesale & distribution · TN postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
1 STOP INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 08878498 · est 2014 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
100ARTISTS LIMITED→ 14079213 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
2020 CERAMICS LTD→ 12747138 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
2A IMPORT & EXPORT LIMITED→ 13515941 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
2TS PERSONAL SHOPPING LTD→ 13788267 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
305 INTERNATIONAL GROUP LTD→ 14562025 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
38-40 NINFIELD ROAD LTD→ 15558718 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
A&A SPICER HOLDINGS LTD→ 14301227 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
A2B AGENCIES LIMITED→ 14396880 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
AARON CHEMICALS LIMITED→ 02677024 · est 1992 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	34y	—	—
ABMODZ LTD→ 12893563 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
ABRAFLEX UK LTD→ 05103363 · est 2004 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—

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

Incorporated1999-07-21

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade

Registered office

Lakeside House Copwood Pool

Rocks Road

Uckfield

TN22 3PT

England

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-04-30

Last made up to: 2025-07-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-08-04

Last: 2025-07-21

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

BARNARD, Mark Anthony→

secretary · appointed 2011-07-28

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BARNARD, Jennifer Mary→

director · ~76y · appointed 2002-07-16

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BARNARD, Mark Anthony→

director · ~59y · appointed 2011-07-28

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BARNARD, Ann→

secretary · appointed 1999-07-22 · resigned 2011-07-08

Resigned

BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-07-21 · resigned 1999-07-22

Resigned

BARNARD, Ann→

director · ~91y · appointed 1999-07-22 · resigned 2011-07-08

Resigned

BARNARD, Anthony→

director · ~91y · appointed 1999-07-22 · resigned 2006-02-13

Resigned

BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-07-21 · resigned 1999-07-22

Resigned

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