ARMADILLO SPORTS DESIGN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

03945938 · ltd · incorporated 2000-03-13

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 Mar 2025

Net worth

£-557.2k

book net assets

Opportunity

79/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Other sports activities

Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation

Investor take

Pass (distressed without resilience)

Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 69). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 25.5y

15/100

under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

· Oldest live charge is 25.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)

Directors & officers

12 officers (2 active, 12 linked, 6 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

5 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

98 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

79/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102

Negative net assets

Liabilities exceed assets by £557,201

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

-£557k

~ YoY

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2025-03-31	2024-03-31
Total assets	£71.8k	£71.7k
Current assets	—	£41.5k
Net assets	£-557.2k	£-556.3k

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand

2025-11-13
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-11
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2017-12-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2016-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2016-04-15
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-03-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-03-23
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2014-03-26
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2012-05-01
➕
CROOKES, Jacqueline Mary appointed
secretary
2012-04-30
➖
WARBURTON, Mark Charles resigned
secretary
2011-03-14
➖
SIMS, Mark Jeremy, Mr. resigned
director
2008-09-11
➖
WHITE, Anthony John resigned
director
2008-05-03
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2007-12-24
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2007-10-12
➕
SIMS, Mark Jeremy, Mr. appointed
director
2007-04-02
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2007-03-21
➖
MCHUGH, Patrick resigned
director
2007-03-21
➖
TENNANT, Patrick Charles resigned
director
2006-12-21
➖
CROOKES, Jacqueline Mary resigned
secretary
2006-12-21
➕
WARBURTON, Mark Charles appointed
secretary
2006-08-15
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
2006-06-22
➕
TENNANT, Patrick Charles appointed
director
2006-06-01
➕
MCHUGH, Patrick appointed
director
2004-08-13
➖
TOMKINS, Michael Alan resigned
director
2004-03-12
➕
CROOKES, Jacqueline Mary appointed
secretary
2004-03-12
➖
MAJOR, Sandra Elizabeth resigned
secretary
2002-10-03
➕
TOMKINS, Michael Alan appointed
director
2001-01-05
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
2000-03-13
🏢
Company incorporated
As ARMADILLO SPORTS DESIGN LIMITED
2000-03-13
➕
BROSTER, Timothy John appointed
director
2000-03-13
➕
MAJOR, Sandra Elizabeth appointed
secretary
2000-03-13
➕
BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2000-03-13
➖
BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2000-03-13
➕
WHITE, Anthony John appointed
director
2000-03-13
➕
DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
2000-03-13
➖
DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director

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

+Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
+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 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.
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

1 med ·

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Timothy John Broster Individual · British · DOB 12/1957 · age 69	50–75%	—	50-75% shares	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 · Leisure & entertainment · SK postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
ALBUFEIRA EVENTS LTD.→ 15384408 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ALPHA FIT TRAINING LTD→ 17107295 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ARDWICK FC LTD→ 16695311 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ARROW CREATIVE LIMITED→ 16330225 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
ARTWORK PORTFOLIO LIMITED→ 12943719 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
ASPINALL ACADEMY OF DANCE LIMITED→ 05791331 · est 2006 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	19y	—	—
ASPIRE HORIZONS TLE LIMITED→ 14001125 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
AT PADEL LTD→ 16921650 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ATHLETIC MINDS LIMITED→ 15621406 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ATLAS STUDIOS LTD→ 09927756 · est 2015 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—
AUDIO ENTERPRISE LIMITED→ 11190336 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
AUXILIUM CONSERVATION LTD→ 17031952 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

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

Incorporated2000-03-13

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC93199 — Other sports activities

Registered office

Sunrise House

Hulley Road

Macclesfield

Cheshire

SK10 2LP

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-12-31

Last made up to: 2025-03-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-03-27

Last: 2026-03-13

Officers (2 active · 10 resigned)

CROOKES, Jacqueline Mary→

secretary · appointed 2012-05-01

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BROSTER, Timothy John→

director · ~69y · appointed 2000-03-13

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

CROOKES, Jacqueline Mary→

secretary · appointed 2004-03-12 · resigned 2006-12-21

Resigned

MAJOR, Sandra Elizabeth→

secretary · appointed 2000-03-13 · resigned 2004-03-12

Resigned

WARBURTON, Mark Charles→

secretary · appointed 2006-12-21 · resigned 2012-04-30

Resigned

BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-03-13 · resigned 2000-03-13

Resigned

MCHUGH, Patrick→

director · ~74y · appointed 2006-06-01 · resigned 2007-03-21

Resigned

SIMS, Mark Jeremy, Mr.→

director · ~66y · appointed 2007-10-12 · resigned 2011-03-14

Resigned

TENNANT, Patrick Charles→

director · ~68y · appointed 2006-06-22 · resigned 2007-03-21

Resigned

TOMKINS, Michael Alan→

director · ~68y · appointed 2002-10-03 · resigned 2004-08-13

Resigned

WHITE, Anthony John→

director · ~58y · appointed 2000-03-13 · resigned 2008-09-11

Resigned

DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-03-13 · resigned 2000-03-13

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown

		Type	Properties
outstanding	Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC	Debenture	1 property	24/12/2007	—
satisfied	HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC	Debenture	1 property	15/08/2006	03/05/2008
satisfied	National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC	Mortgage debenture	1 property	05/01/2001	02/04/2007

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.