DIRECTREF LTD
🌳Matureactive
03985273 · ltd · incorporated 2000-05-03
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£100
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 77). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
77 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £100
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£100
~ YoY
Net Worth
£100
~ YoY
Current Assets
£100
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £100 | £100 |
| Current assets | £100 | £100 |
| Cash | £100 | £100 |
| Debtors | £0 | £0 |
| Net assets | £100 | £100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
8
filings
- • 6 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
12
filings
- • 8 officers
- • 3 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-04-20📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-04-19➖HILLING, April resignedsecretary
- 2026-03-18📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2026-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-03-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-10📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-01-10📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-01-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-10📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-12-31➕HILLING, Lesley Maxine appointeddirector
- 2025-12-31➖HILLING, Rodney Westbrook resigneddirector
- 2025-04-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-06📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-10-05📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2000-05-30➕HILLINGROSS, April Yvonne Cougar appointeddirector
- 2000-05-30➕HILLING, April appointedsecretary
- 2000-05-03🏢Company incorporatedAs DIRECTREF LTD
- 2000-05-03➕TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-05-03➖TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-05-03➕HILLING, Rodney Westbrook appointeddirector
- 2000-05-03➕TEMPLES (PROFESSIONAL SERVICES) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2000-05-03➖TEMPLES (PROFESSIONAL SERVICES) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 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 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: HILLING, April resigned 2026-04-19; HILLING, Rodney Westbrook resigned 2025-12-31
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Lesley Maxine Hilling Individual · British · DOB 06/1949 · age 77 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 31/12/2025 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- M Rod Hillingceased 31/12/2025· 50-75% shares
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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3K HOME AND FURNITURE LTD→ 15348895 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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| 75PHARMA GROUP LIMITED→ 13152498 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 84 MONSTERS LIMITED→ 13051259 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABBOTT & ABBOTT EYEWEAR LIMITED→ 15885438 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABLY GLASS LTD.→ 07903535 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ABSENT ENTERPRISE LTD→ 15395553 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACCU RANGE LTD→ 14872859 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACETEX LIMITED→ 16785338 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACIEN LIMITED→ 15466484 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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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
Incorporated2000-05-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Registered office
25 Langley Lane
London
London
SW8 1TJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-04
Last: 2026-04-20
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
HILLING, Lesley Maxine→
Activedirector · ~77y · appointed 2025-12-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HILLINGROSS, April Yvonne Cougar→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2000-05-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HILLING, April→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-05-30 · resigned 2026-04-19
TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-05-03 · resigned 2000-05-03
HILLING, Rodney Westbrook→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 2000-05-03 · resigned 2025-12-31
TEMPLES (PROFESSIONAL SERVICES) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-05-03 · resigned 2000-05-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (77 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-20
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-04-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-20
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-03-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-03-17
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-01-10
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-01-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-06-22