1 GAMBLE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03824713 · ltd · incorporated 1999-08-13
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 Aug 2025
Net worth
£645.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45310
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 82990Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -62% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 23.9y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · 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, 2 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
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
70 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
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
77
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 £645,380
Net assets shrinking
Down £17,041 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 62% YoY
Cash YoY
-62%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£14k
↓ 62% YoY
Net Worth
£645k
↓ 2.6% YoY
Current Assets
£50k
↓ 46% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £663.5k | £675.8k |
| Current assets | £50.0k | £92.0k |
| Cash | £14.3k | £37.9k |
| Debtors | £27.7k | £31.1k |
| Net assets | £645.4k | £662.4k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-10✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2025-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-30📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-05-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-07-30📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2003-05-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2002-06-10🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Firth Holdings PLC
- 1999-09-06➕FLETCHER, Karen Julie appointedsecretary
- 1999-09-06➕GAMBLE, Trevor appointeddirector
- 1999-09-06➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-09-06➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1999-08-13🏢Company incorporatedAs 1 GAMBLE LIMITED
- 1999-08-13➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-08-13➕INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "GAMBLE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 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 27 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
1 med ·Name changed recently
mediumName changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2025-07-10: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Karen Gamble Individual · British · DOB 12/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 01/07/2016 |
Mr Trevor Gamble Individual · British · DOB 05/1969 · age 57 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 01/07/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 AUTOMOTIVE GROUP LTD→ 16645536 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 STAR TYRES AND SERVICES LIMITED→ 16672196 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A M CAR SALES (NORTH EAST) LIMITED→ 10440117 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A.M EXECUTIVE CARS LIMITED→ 15954686 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A14 TYRES LIMITED→ 03768991 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| AAC LEISURE LIMITED→ 05335196 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AARON'S MOBILE VEHICLE REPAIRS LTD→ 10474840 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ABRA MOT CENTRE LIMITED→ 05800471 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ABS CAR SALES LTD→ 15353317 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACS SERVICES N.E LTD→ 15750904 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADA MOTORS UK LIMITED→ 15480373 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADAIR AUTOMOTIVE LTD→ 16648128 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1999-08-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45310 — SIC 45310
Registered office
Unit 14a
Brama Teams Industrial Park
Team Street Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
NE8 2RG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-12
Last: 2025-07-29
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
FLETCHER, Karen Julie→
Activesecretary · appointed 1999-09-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GAMBLE, Trevor→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 1999-09-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-08-13 · resigned 1999-09-06
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-08-13 · resigned 1999-09-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Legal charge | 2 properties | 29/05/2003 | — | |
| outstanding | Firth Holdings Firth Holdings PLC | Legal charge | 3 properties | 10/06/2002 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (70 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-29
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2025-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-03-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-29