CRABTREE & HILL LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04153516 · ltd · incorporated 2001-02-05
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 Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Electrical installation
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 22.9y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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 (1 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
98 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 11 | 1300 |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-25📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-01-17📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2023-01-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-01-17📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-01-16➖HILL, Julie resignedsecretary
- 2023-01-16➖HILL, Julie resigneddirector
- 2023-01-16➖HILL, Stewart resigneddirector
- 2023-01-16📄statement-of-companys-objectschange-of-constitution · CC04
- 2023-01-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-16📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-01-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-01-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-12-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-12-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-08📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-10-08📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2003-06-23🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-05-01➕HILL, Damian Stewart appointeddirector
- 2001-02-22➕HILL, Julie appointedsecretary
- 2001-02-22➖SUNBRIDGE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2001-02-22➕HILL, Julie appointeddirector
- 2001-02-22➕HILL, Stewart appointeddirector
- 2001-02-22➖CROFTBRIDGE LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 2001-02-05🏢Company incorporatedAs CRABTREE & HILL LIMITED
- 2001-02-05➕SUNBRIDGE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2001-02-05➕CROFTBRIDGE LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HILL" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 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
3 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Julie Hill Individual · British · DOB 09/1953 · age 73 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Stewart Hill Individual · British · DOB 02/1950 · age 76 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Damian Stewart Hill Individual · British · DOB 02/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Damien Stewart Hillceased 06/04/2016· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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
Active · Construction · LS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 PILLAR SERVICES LTD→ 15622428 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 4 ALL ELECTRICAL LTD→ 16575998 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A C ROOFING (YORKSHIRE) LTD→ 13963187 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A.C.P DECORATING LTD→ 15180985 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A&C PROPERTY WORKS LIMITED→ 16844321 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AB BUILDING CONTRACTORS YORKSHIRE LTD→ 08513333 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ABBERDALE GUTTERING LIMITED→ 17087900 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABBOT PASSIVE FIRE LTD→ 16670074 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABC JOINERY LTD→ 14143737 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABC YORKSHIRE LTD→ 13198555 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABEL BUILDERS LTD→ 15887110 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABH JOINERY KITCHENS & BATHROOMS LIMITED→ 16308132 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-02-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43210 — Electrical installation
Registered office
Unit C Rowan Court Green Lane
Rawdon
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS19 7DT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-19
Last: 2026-02-05
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
HILL, Damian Stewart→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2003-05-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HILL, Julie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-02-22 · resigned 2023-01-16
SUNBRIDGE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2001-02-05 · resigned 2001-02-22
HILL, Julie→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2001-02-22 · resigned 2023-01-16
HILL, Stewart→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 2001-02-22 · resigned 2023-01-16
CROFTBRIDGE LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2001-02-05 · resigned 2001-02-22
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 | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 23/06/2003 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (98 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-01
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-04-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-07
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2023-01-17
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-01-17
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-01-17
statement-of-companys-objects
change-of-constitution · CC04
2023-01-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-01-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-01-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-01-16