AQUA KING CONSTRUCTION LTD
💤Zombieactive
04325165 · ltd · incorporated 2001-11-20
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 Nov 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Construction of commercial buildings
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)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
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
76 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
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 | 2025-11-30 | 2024-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 3 | 300 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-15📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-11-14📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-11-14📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2022-11-14📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-04-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2008-05-14➖TURNER, Robert George resignedsecretary
- 2003-03-10➖FORDE, Carol Anne resignedsecretary
- 2003-03-10➕TURNER, Robert George appointedsecretary
- 2001-11-22➕KING, Shane Barry appointeddirector
- 2001-11-22➕FORDE, Carol Anne appointedsecretary
- 2001-11-22➖CDF SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-11-22➖CDF FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-11-20🏢Company incorporatedAs AQUA KING CONSTRUCTION LTD
- 2001-11-20➕CDF SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-11-20➕CDF FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-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 "KING" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — 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 60. 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Shane Barry King Individual · British · DOB 12/1966 · age 60 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Kirsten Elizabeth King Individual · British · DOB 03/1968 · age 58 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 17/11/2021 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Construction · EX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A P MADDOX LIMITED→ 06122434 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A P PLANT SOUTH WEST LTD→ 16198832 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A R CURTIS SERVICES LTD→ 11301691 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| A S BUILDERS (HONITON) LIMITED→ 10512394 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A.S.B PLUMBING SERVICES LTD→ 14707634 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ANKYLO LTD→ 16605756 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANNINGS PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEERS LIMITED→ 07606820 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| APEX DEVELOPMENTS - DEVON LIMITED→ 13913771 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| APEX SERVICES (SOUTH WEST) LIMITED→ 02562642 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| AQUAPLUMB LTD→ 06708819 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AQUATECH WATER SERVICES LTD→ 12483542 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ARCH PLASTERING & DRY LINING CONTRACTORS LTD→ 15383882 · est 2024 · 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
Incorporated2001-11-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41201 — Construction of commercial buildings
Registered office
8-10 Queen Street
Seaton
Devon
EX12 2NY
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-08-31
Last made up to: 2025-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-24
Last: 2025-11-10
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
KING, Shane Barry→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2001-11-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORDE, Carol Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-11-22 · resigned 2003-03-10
TURNER, Robert George→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-03-10 · resigned 2008-05-14
CDF SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-11-20 · resigned 2001-11-22
CDF FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-11-20 · resigned 2001-11-22
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (76 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-22
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-11-15
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-11-14
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2022-11-14
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2022-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-04-22
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-04-22