DAVID CHARLES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04009711 · ltd · incorporated 2000-06-07
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 Jul 2024
Net worth
£41.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 31020
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 22.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (69/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
96 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 · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £41,267
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£220k
Net Worth
£41k
Current Assets
£290k
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £134.5k |
| Current assets | £290.2k |
| Cash | £220.2k |
| Debtors | £40.0k |
| Net assets | £41.3k |
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
5
filings
- • 4 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
7
filings
- • 4 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-18📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-05-18📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-05-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-05-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-03-19📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2025-11-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-04-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-26📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-05-26📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-04-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-25📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-08-24📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-08-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-02-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-25🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2011-08-31➖CARASS, Ruth Melanie resigneddirector
- 2008-08-14➖WEBSTER, John Andrew resigneddirector
- 2007-06-21🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2006-06-06➕CARASS, David Charles appointedsecretary
- 2006-06-06➖CARASS, Ruth Melanie resignedsecretary
- 2006-02-01➕WEBSTER, John Andrew appointeddirector
- 2004-05-25🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2000-06-07🏢Company incorporatedAs DAVID CHARLES LIMITED
- 2000-06-07➕CARASS, David Charles appointeddirector
- 2000-06-07➕CARASS, Ruth Melanie appointedsecretary
- 2000-06-07➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-06-07➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-06-07➕CARASS, Ruth Melanie appointeddirector
Owner dependency
93/100
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.
- +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 candidateStrong 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
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David Charles Carass Individual · British · DOB 09/1967 · age 59 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Jodi Ann Carass Individual · British · DOB 05/1982 · age 44 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 18/05/2026 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Jodi Carassceased 18/05/2026· 25-50% shares
- Mrs Jodi Carassceased 26/05/2022· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · HG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABF EUROPE LIMITED→ 03998389 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| CLEARTECH DESIGN LIMITED→ 11368637 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CRAVEN & CO. LIMITED→ 03909505 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| CRITERION CONTROLS LIMITED→ 05763806 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| CRONK TRADING LTD→ 12687483 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CRYONORM PROCESS COMBUSTION LIMITED→ 14940266 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| D & M DESIGN & FABRICATION LIMITED→ 07164494 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| D L GARAGE EQUIPMENT LIMITED→ 16125679 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DALES RENOVATION LIMITED→ 10159512 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DALTON ENGINEERING LTD→ 06966128 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DALTON EQUIPMENT LTD→ 02382725 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| DAYTUNER PERFORMANCE LIMITED→ 06090265 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2000-06-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC31020 — SIC 31020
Registered office
Unit 4 Ure Bank Maltings
Ripon
North Yorkshire
HG4 1AE
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2024-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-21
Last: 2026-06-07
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
CARASS, David Charles→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-06-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARASS, David Charles→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2000-06-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARASS, Ruth Melanie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-06-07 · resigned 2006-06-06
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-06-07 · resigned 2000-06-07
CARASS, Ruth Melanie→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 2000-06-07 · resigned 2011-08-31
WEBSTER, John Andrew→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2006-02-01 · resigned 2008-08-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 21/06/2007 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 25/05/2004 | 25/06/2016 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (96 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-07
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-05-18
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-05-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-05-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-05-07
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-20
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2026-03-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-11-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-04-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-05