CHRIS KEMPTON LIGHTING DESIGN LTD.

💤Zombieactive
04218716 · ltd · incorporated 2001-05-17
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 2023
Net worth
£149.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
62/100
Worth a look
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Special-situation opportunity
Distressed leisure with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 62/100 (worth a look), bankability 45/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 70). Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (53/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
71 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
62/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
45
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £149,599
Very low cash
Cash position: £5
Cash draining
Cash down 100% YoY
Cash YoY
-100%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£5
↓ 100% YoY
Net Worth
£150k
↑ 20% YoY
Current Assets
£285k
↑ 26% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£57k£114k£171k£228k£285kMay 2022May 2023

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2023-05-312022-05-31
Total assets£171.5k£155.9k
Current assets£285.2k£226.9k
Cash£5£6.0k
Debtors£285.2k£220.9k
Net assets£149.6k£124.9k

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 (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-01
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  2. 2025-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-08-07
    📄
    dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspended
    dissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
  4. 2024-07-30
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  5. 2023-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-04-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-04-16
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  9. 2020-04-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2020-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-08-29
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  13. 2018-08-07
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  14. 2018-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-06-14
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2010-06-15
    ➖
    KEMPTON, Helen resigned
    secretary
  18. 2007-01-30
    ➕
    KEMPTON, Christopher Allen appointed
    director
  19. 2007-01-30
    ➕
    KEMPTON, Helen appointed
    secretary
  20. 2007-01-30
    ➖
    TWIGG, Christine resigned
    secretary
  21. 2007-01-30
    ➖
    KEMPTON, Helen resigned
    director
  22. 2005-12-01
    ➕
    TWIGG, Christine appointed
    secretary
  23. 2005-12-01
    ➖
    TWIGG, Helen resigned
    secretary
  24. 2005-12-01
    ➖
    KEMPTON, Christopher Allen resigned
    director
  25. 2005-12-01
    ➕
    KEMPTON, Helen appointed
    director
  26. 2001-05-17
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CHRIS KEMPTON LIGHTING DESIGN LTD.
  27. 2001-05-17
    ➕
    TWIGG, Helen appointed
    secretary
  28. 2001-05-17
    ➕
    CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 2001-05-17
    ➖
    CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2001-05-17
    ➕
    KEMPTON, Christopher Allen appointed
    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 "KEMPTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

93/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

2 high ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2025-02-28

Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-05-31

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Christopher Allen Kempton
Individual · British · DOB 04/1956 · age 70
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting17/05/2017

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

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

11 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
Incorporated2001-05-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC93290 — Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.

Registered office

9 Orchard Close
Bleasby
Nottinghamshire
NG14 7GF
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2025-02-28OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2023-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-31OVERDUE
Last: 2025-05-17

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

KEMPTON, Christopher Allen→
director · ~70y · appointed 2007-01-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
KEMPTON, Helen→
secretary · appointed 2007-01-30 · resigned 2010-06-15
Resigned
TWIGG, Christine→
secretary · appointed 2005-12-01 · resigned 2007-01-30
Resigned
TWIGG, Helen→
secretary · appointed 2001-05-17 · resigned 2005-12-01
Resigned
CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-05-17 · resigned 2001-05-17
Resigned
KEMPTON, Christopher Allen→
director · ~70y · appointed 2001-05-17 · resigned 2005-12-01
Resigned
KEMPTON, Helen→
director · ~58y · appointed 2005-12-01 · resigned 2007-01-30
Resigned

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

Recent filings (71 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-11
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2025-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
2024-08-07
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2024-07-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-29
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-04-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-04-16