AFFORDABLE APPLIANCES DIRECT LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03977279 · ltd · incorporated 2000-04-20
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 2026
Net worth
£24.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -48% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £24,155
Net assets shrinking
Down £5,750 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 48% YoY
Cash YoY
-48%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£16k
↓ 48% YoY
Net Worth
£24k
↓ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£19k
↓ 45% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£7k£14k£21k£28k£35kMar 2025Mar 2026

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2026-03-312025-03-31
Total assets£24.2k£29.9k
Current assets£19.1k£34.8k
Cash£15.5k£29.9k
Debtors£607—
Net assets£24.2k£29.9k

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
3
filings
  • • 2 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
3
filings
  • • 2 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
4
filings
  • • 2 accounts
  • • 2 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-05-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-11-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-11-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-10-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-04-22
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-12-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-05-08
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2010-03-03
    ➖
    VAN GERWEN, Frederik Jurrie resigned
    secretary
  16. 2000-05-11
    ➖
    EDWARDS, Lesley resigned
    director
  17. 2000-04-26
    ➕
    KNOWLES, Timothy appointed
    director
  18. 2000-04-20
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AFFORDABLE APPLIANCES DIRECT LIMITED
  19. 2000-04-20
    ➕
    VAN GERWEN, Frederik Jurrie appointed
    secretary
  20. 2000-04-20
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  21. 2000-04-20
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  22. 2000-04-20
    ➕
    EDWARDS, Lesley appointed
    director
  23. 2000-04-20
    ➕
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  24. 2000-04-20
    ➖
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

93/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • 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

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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Jacqui Knowles
Individual · British · DOB 05/1968 · age 58
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting21/04/2016
Timothy Knowles
Individual · British · DOB 03/1967 · age 59
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting21/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Retail · GL postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
A&A MOBILE SOLUTIONS LTD→
17083133 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
ABDUL HABIB LTD→
16274981 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ABITALIA LTD→
05810812 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————19y——
ACG ART LIMITED→
09516362 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————11y——
AD COFFEE COMPANY LIMITED→
16301282 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ADD SQUIRREL LTD→
15337941 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ADRIAN GROUP OF COMPANIES LTD→
17057886 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
AEROBATX LTD→
12651929 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
AFFIRMATCHA LTD→
15962640 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
AFIYAH COLLECTION LTD→
13815834 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
AFMJK LTD→
09448739 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————11y——
AFRO FRESH FOOD LTD→
16772223 · 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
Incorporated2000-04-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47540 — Retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores

Registered office

1 Long Street
Tetbury
Gloucestershire
GL8 8AA

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-09
Last: 2026-05-26

Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)

KNOWLES, Timothy→
director · ~59y · appointed 2000-04-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
VAN GERWEN, Frederik Jurrie→
secretary · appointed 2000-04-20 · resigned 2010-03-03
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-04-20 · resigned 2000-04-20
Resigned
EDWARDS, Lesley→
director · ~76y · appointed 2000-04-20 · resigned 2000-05-11
Resigned
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-04-20 · resigned 2000-04-20
Resigned

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

Recent filings (66 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-11-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-12