A4 HIRE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04320132 · ltd · incorporated 2001-11-09
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). 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 24.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.4 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
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
65 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.
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 700 | 900 |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-04📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2025-03-04📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2025-03-04📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2025-03-04📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-11-09📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2002-01-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2001-11-09🏢Company incorporatedAs A4 HIRE LIMITED
- 2001-11-09➕FOLLAND, Samantha Jane appointedsecretary
- 2001-11-09➕FOLLAND, Paul Gregory appointeddirector
- 2001-11-09➕ALPHA SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-11-09➖ALPHA SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-11-09➕ALPHA DIRECT LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-11-09➖ALPHA DIRECT 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 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — 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 62. 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 25 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul Gregory Folland Individual · British · DOB 08/1964 · age 62 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Samantha Jane Follandceased 10/05/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Professional services · OX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130R SERVICES LIMITED→ 13271145 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 268 LEISURE & HOSPITALITY LTD→ 15691949 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 3 GREEN LIGHTS LTD→ 13880928 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 5 RHINO CONSULTING LTD→ 13257590 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 5C CONSULTING LTD→ 12610733 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 65 MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY LTD→ 13115583 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 9-2-3 JOBS LIMITED→ 10901173 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| A BUDDEN CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 14394538 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AA MORGAN ACCOUNTING AND BOOKKEEPING LTD→ 16489572 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AAA WORLDWIDE CONSULTING LTD→ 15877753 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AAAWESOME GROUP LTD→ 16915857 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AAAWESOME NETWORKS LTD→ 16936803 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-11-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC77320 — Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Registered office
Wenn Townsend
30 Saint Giles
Oxford
OX1 3LE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-23
Last: 2025-11-09
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
FOLLAND, Samantha Jane→
Activesecretary · appointed 2001-11-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FOLLAND, Paul Gregory→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2001-11-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ALPHA SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-11-09 · resigned 2001-11-09
ALPHA DIRECT LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-11-09 · resigned 2001-11-09
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 | 09/01/2002 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (65 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-17
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2025-03-04
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2025-03-04
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2025-03-04
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2025-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-11-09