AVENUE SIGNS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04321368 · ltd · incorporated 2001-11-13
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£53.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
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 23.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
7 officers (2 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
77 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £53,881
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£11k
Net Worth
£54k
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | £11.1k | — |
| Net assets | £53.9k | — |
| Average employees | — | 600 |
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
- 2025-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-03📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-03-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-03-03📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-03-03📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-11-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-11-10📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2017-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2011-04-11➖ARCHER, Rita Frances resigneddirector
- 2007-02-20➕ARCHER, Coral appointedsecretary
- 2007-02-20➖ARCHER, Stephen Carl resignedsecretary
- 2006-04-11➖ARCHER, John William resigneddirector
- 2003-06-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-04-01➕ARCHER, Stephen Carl appointeddirector
- 2003-04-01➕ARCHER, Rita Frances appointeddirector
- 2001-11-13🏢Company incorporatedAs AVENUE SIGNS LIMITED
- 2001-11-13➕ARCHER, Stephen Carl appointedsecretary
- 2001-11-13➕TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-11-13➖TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-11-13➕ARCHER, John William appointeddirector
- 2001-11-13➕COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-11-13➖COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
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 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Stephen Carl Archer Individual · British · DOB 09/1971 · age 55 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALBINO LTD→ 17127159 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARCHITECTURAL LEAD & METALWORK (LONDON) LTD→ 16012360 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ASHMILL MUSIC CO. LTD→ 12455625 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BARKERS LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTERS LIMITED→ 04681826 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| BARRY QUINN STONEWORKS LIMITED→ 13902512 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BASENOTE SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16514935 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BATCHING & BLENDING SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 03232965 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| BESPOKE BEAUTY CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 12516021 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BESPOKE DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS LTD→ 07434490 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| BESPOKE GLASS SPLASHBACKS LTD→ 07762287 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BESPOKE LIFT INTERIORS LTD→ 12978047 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BESPOKE RENO INTERIORS LTD→ 14134283 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-11-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Registered office
2nd Floor, Maritime Place Quayside
Chatham Maritime
Chatham
Kent
ME4 4QZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-27
Last: 2025-11-13
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
ARCHER, Stephen Carl→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2003-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ARCHER, Stephen Carl→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-11-13 · resigned 2007-02-20
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-11-13 · resigned 2001-11-13
ARCHER, John William→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 2001-11-13 · resigned 2006-04-11
ARCHER, Rita Frances→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · appointed 2003-04-01 · resigned 2011-04-11
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-11-13 · resigned 2001-11-13
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 | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 13/06/2003 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (77 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-20
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-03-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-03-03
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-03-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-13