ALAN HERON (ARCHITECTURAL JOINERY AND CABINET MAKING) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03899261 · ltd · incorporated 1999-12-23
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£71.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of other furniture
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 69-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 69). 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: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 19.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 19.1 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, 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
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
72 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 £71,118
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£71k
Current Assets
£9k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £150.8k | — |
| Current assets | £9.5k | — |
| Net assets | £71.1k | — |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-05📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2020-02-05🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2019-12-29📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-12-29📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-12-29📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-12-22➖ELLIOTT, Iain Stewart resignedsecretary
- 2019-12-22➖ELLIOTT, Iain Stewart resigneddirector
- 2019-11-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-04-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2007-05-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2000-02-11➕ELLIOTT, Iain Stewart appointedsecretary
- 2000-02-11➖HERON, Lilian Elaine resignedsecretary
- 2000-02-11➕ELLIOTT, Iain Stewart appointeddirector
- 1999-12-23🏢Company incorporatedAs ALAN HERON (ARCHITECTURAL JOINERY AND CABINET MAKING) LIMITED
- 1999-12-23➕HERON, Alan Henry appointeddirector
- 1999-12-23➕HERON, Lilian Elaine appointedsecretary
- 1999-12-23➕WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-12-23➖WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-12-23➕WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1999-12-23➖WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-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 "HERON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 69 — 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 69. 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 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alan Henry Heron Individual · British · DOB 06/1957 · age 69 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Iain Stewart Elliottceased 22/12/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEI CABLES LIMITED→ 07745837 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AGA INDUSTRY LTD→ 15054425 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AGW MECHANICAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 14840876 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AI HEALTH SOLUTIONS LTD→ 17108392 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIKO ROOF BARS LIMITED→ 15941973 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AIRGILL LTD→ 12610235 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AJ SHAW GLOBAL LTD→ 15633105 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AJS TRADE INTERIORS LTD→ 16432416 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AL BRIGHT DENTAL LTD→ 14759725 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALAN CHRISTIE LIMITED→ 09034736 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ALAN NEAL GRAPHICS LIMITED→ 04751556 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ALAN SKINNER LIMITED→ 08181456 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1999-12-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC31090 — Manufacture of other furniture
Registered office
Unit 11 Prince Consort Industrial Estate
Hebburn
Tyne And Wear
NE31 1EH
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-09
Last: 2025-09-25
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
HERON, Alan Henry→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 1999-12-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ELLIOTT, Iain Stewart→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-02-11 · resigned 2019-12-22
HERON, Lilian Elaine→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-12-23 · resigned 2000-02-11
WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-12-23 · resigned 1999-12-23
ELLIOTT, Iain Stewart→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2000-02-11 · resigned 2019-12-22
WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-12-23 · resigned 1999-12-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 01/05/2007 | 05/02/2020 |
Recent filings (72 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2020-02-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2019-12-29