ARRAS SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04346971 · ltd · incorporated 2002-01-03
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
£118.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities of employment placement agencies
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). 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 21.9y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.9 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
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £118,819
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£119k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£81k
↓ 1.6% YoY
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £166.9k | £148.2k |
| Current assets | £81.1k | £82.3k |
| Net assets | £118.8k | £117.7k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-18📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-02-18📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-02-06➖SCOTT, Lindsay Amy resignedsecretary
- 2026-02-06➖SCOTT, Lindsay Amy resigneddirector
- 2025-06-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-03📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-01-03📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-06📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2008-04-01➖MCKENZIE, Ian Dougan resigneddirector
- 2004-08-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2002-08-02➕SCOTT, Lindsay Amy appointeddirector
- 2002-04-06➕MCKENZIE, Ian Dougan appointeddirector
- 2002-01-07➕THORPE, John William appointeddirector
- 2002-01-07➕SCOTT, Lindsay Amy appointedsecretary
- 2002-01-04➖BRIGHTON SECRETARY LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-01-04➖BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-01-03🏢Company incorporatedAs ARRAS SERVICES LIMITED
- 2002-01-03➕BRIGHTON SECRETARY LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-01-03➕BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LTD 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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
1 med ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: SCOTT, Lindsay Amy resigned 2026-02-06; SCOTT, Lindsay Amy resigned 2026-02-06
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Lindsay Amy Scott Individual · British · DOB 04/1974 · age 52 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 02/08/2016 |
Mr John William Thorpe Individual · British · DOB 07/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Professional services · OL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A S JENKINSON FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS LIMITED→ 10191873 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ANTROBUS LOGISTICS CONSULTANCY LTD→ 08911370 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| APPLEWOOD ACCOUNTANCY LTD→ 07677143 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ARIF LEGAL LTD→ 16769000 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARKL ENGINEERING LTD→ 15352584 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARSA CONSULTING LTD→ 12161704 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ARWAIN SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16577681 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARZAK LTD→ 17004033 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AS STORAGE LTD→ 16699991 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASCEND STRATOS LTD→ 12553342 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ASCENT ETHICAL LTD→ 13769315 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ASCNDESIGN LTD→ 16500101 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2002-01-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC78109 — Other activities of employment placement agencies
Registered office
Arras House
47 York Street
Heywood
Lancashire
OL10 4NN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-17
Last: 2026-01-03
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
THORPE, John William→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2002-01-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SCOTT, Lindsay Amy→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-01-07 · resigned 2026-02-06
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-01-03 · resigned 2002-01-04
MCKENZIE, Ian Dougan→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 2002-04-06 · resigned 2008-04-01
SCOTT, Lindsay Amy→
Resigneddirector · ~52y · appointed 2002-08-02 · resigned 2026-02-06
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-01-03 · resigned 2002-01-04
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 | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/08/2004 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (72 total)
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-02-18
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-06-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-07
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-01-03
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-01-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-08-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-05