A. DAWBER LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

03989548 · ltd · incorporated 2000-05-10

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 May 2025

Net worth

£26.4k

book net assets

Opportunity

80/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.

Sector: Construction

Investor take

Pursue

Asset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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).

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

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

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

Director network

Network not yet resolved

Filing history

62 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

80/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102

Positive net assets

Net assets £26,420

Cash YoY

+1094%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£39k

↑ 1094% YoY

Net Worth

£26k

↑ 52% YoY

Current Assets

£53k

↑ 77% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2025-05-31	2024-05-31
Total assets	£26.4k	£17.4k
Current assets	£52.8k	£29.9k
Cash	£39.0k	£3.3k
Debtors	£13.8k	£26.6k
Net assets	£26.4k	£17.4k

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

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Last 90 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand

2025-11-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-02-14
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-15
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-11-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-01-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-03-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-11-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2018-12-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2017-12-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2016-11-30
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2016-05-12
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2016-01-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-05-16
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2014-12-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2014-05-19
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2013-09-10
➖
DAWBER, Georgina Kathryn resigned
secretary
2013-09-10
➖
DAWBER, Georgina Kathryn resigned
director
2012-07-12
➕
DAWBER, Georgina Kathryn appointed
director
2000-05-10
🏢
Company incorporated
As A. DAWBER LIMITED
2000-05-10
➕
DAWBER, Andrew appointed
director
2000-05-10
➕
DAWBER, Georgina Kathryn appointed
secretary
2000-05-10
➕
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2000-05-10
➖
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2000-05-10
➕
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
2000-05-10
➖
COMPANY DIRECTORS 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.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DAWBER" — 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.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — 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 61. 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

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Andrew Dawber Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61	75–100%	75–100%	75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · firm interest	10/05/2017

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

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Active · Construction · DE postcode area

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24HOURS RAPID RESPONSE PLUMBER LIMITED→ 16858145 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3 CORE SPARKIES LTD→ 16921184 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
A D BRICKLAYING LIMITED→ 11266003 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
A.C.S JOINERY & BUILDING LIMITED→ 10092251 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—
ABBEY GLASS (DERBY) LIMITED→ 03042266 · est 1995 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	31y	—	—
ABEO GROUP LIMITED→ 14455030 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
ABERBRAINT LTD→ 15190538 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ABO PLANT HIRE LTD→ 04181096 · est 2001 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	—	—
ABS CONSTRUCTIONS (LONDON) LTD→ 11569973 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
ABSOLUTE BUILDING SERVICES (UK) LTD→ 08813917 · est 2013 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
AC AZURE MANAGEMENT LTD→ 15148663 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ACB HOME IMPROVEMENTS LTD→ 06276620 · est 2007 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	18y	—	—

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

Incorporated2000-05-10

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC43999 — Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Lichfield House Fenton Green

Stretton

Burton On Trent

Staffordshire

DE13 0FT

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-02-28

Last made up to: 2025-05-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-05-24

Last: 2026-05-10

Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)

DAWBER, Andrew→

director · ~61y · appointed 2000-05-10

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

DAWBER, Georgina Kathryn→

secretary · appointed 2000-05-10 · resigned 2013-09-10

Resigned

TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-05-10 · resigned 2000-05-10

Resigned

DAWBER, Georgina Kathryn→

director · ~54y · appointed 2012-07-12 · resigned 2013-09-10

Resigned

COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-05-10 · resigned 2000-05-10

Resigned

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