C A DESIGN & PRINT LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04070622 · ltd · incorporated 2000-09-13
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£152.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 18129
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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
1 live charge · oldest 20.7y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
70 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £152,159
Net assets shrinking
Down £20,244 YoY
Cash YoY
-6%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£237k
↓ 5.5% YoY
Net Worth
£152k
↓ 12% YoY
Current Assets
£282k
↓ 12% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £159.9k | £172.8k |
| Current assets | £281.6k | £321.2k |
| Cash | £236.8k | £250.6k |
| Debtors | £41.0k | £66.0k |
| Net assets | £152.2k | £172.4k |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-04-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-09-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2006-04-01➕MANSELL, Matthew Dennis appointedsecretary
- 2006-03-31➖DUCKERS, William Colin resignedsecretary
- 2005-11-18➖CHEESEMAN, Alan resigneddirector
- 2005-10-31🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2000-09-13🏢Company incorporatedAs C A DESIGN & PRINT LIMITED
- 2000-09-13➕FORSTER, Michael appointeddirector
- 2000-09-13➕DUCKERS, William Colin appointedsecretary
- 2000-09-13➕BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-09-13➖BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-09-13➕CHEESEMAN, Alan appointeddirector
- 2000-09-13➕DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2000-09-13➖DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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 61 — 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 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
cleanNo 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 Michael Forster Individual · British · DOB 09/1965 · age 61 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 01/07/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEAUFORT GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 12667860 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BEDFORD STEEL FABRICATIONS LTD→ 07983917 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BLACKHURST ENGINEERING LTD→ 09981309 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| BOSS HORSEBOXES LTD→ 12615624 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BPC (NW) LTD→ 16817774 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BROCKWITZ BESPOKE LTD→ 16033972 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BROWN BREAD (UK) LTD→ 05131425 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| BROWNSTONE APPAREL LIMITED→ 16853839 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BULUT LTD GROUP LTD→ 15115298 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| C.D.C. HEAVY TEXTILES LIMITED→ 01902751 · est 1985 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
| C&C DENTAL LABORATORY LTD→ 15996616 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CACTI PCS LTD→ 15232294 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2000-09-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC18129 — SIC 18129
Registered office
Unit 19 Junction 8
Business Centre Rosscliffe Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire
CH65 3AS
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-27
Last: 2025-09-13
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
MANSELL, Matthew Dennis→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORSTER, Michael→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2000-09-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DUCKERS, William Colin→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-09-13 · resigned 2006-03-31
BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-09-13 · resigned 2000-09-13
CHEESEMAN, Alan→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 2000-09-13 · resigned 2005-11-18
DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-09-13 · resigned 2000-09-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 31/10/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (70 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2019-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-04-11