ABLAZE MEDIA LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04434950 · ltd · incorporated 2002-05-09
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 May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Other specialist photography
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).

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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
75 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0May 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Average employees00

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
3
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 address
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-05
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2026-06-01
    📍
    move-registers-to-registered-office-company-with-new-address
    address · AD04
  3. 2026-05-08
    ➖
    LUMBY, Peter resigned
    director
  4. 2026-01-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-11-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-02-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-05-05
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2022-05-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2022-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-01-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  14. 2019-05-01
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  15. 2019-05-01
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2019-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-05-15
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  18. 2002-05-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ABLAZE MEDIA LIMITED
  19. 2002-05-09
    ➕
    DUNLOP, Robert appointed
    secretary
  20. 2002-05-09
    ➕
    DUNLOP, Robert appointed
    director
  21. 2002-05-09
    ➕
    OCS CORPORATE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  22. 2002-05-09
    ➖
    OCS CORPORATE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  23. 2002-05-09
    ➕
    LUMBY, Peter appointed
    director
  24. 2002-05-09
    ➕
    OCS DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  25. 2002-05-09
    ➖
    OCS DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

85/100
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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong 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 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Robert Dunlop
Individual · British · DOB 11/1972 · age 54
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

Similar companies

Active · Professional services · IP postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ALATRAC LTD→
16560826 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ALBALAW LIMITED→
14216251 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————3y——
ALDEBURGH VETS LTD→
12536527 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————6y——
ALDERTONS ACCOUNTING SERVICES LIMITED→
06941117 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
————16y——
ALDOUS ADVISORY LTD→
16178277 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ALEX PECK GROUP LTD.→
12129832 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
ALEXANDRITE RISK CONSULTING LIMITED→
16227552 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ALIGN STRATEGY LIMITED→
08810747 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————12y——
ALIGNMENT CUBED LTD→
15846506 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ALIOS-PES LTD→
16831454 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ALISON BEECH CONSULTING LIMITED→
11179969 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————8y——
ALL EVENTS AND MORE LTD→
15511395 · 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
Incorporated2002-05-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC74202 — Other specialist photography

Registered office

Cedar House
Onehouse
Stowmarket
Suffolk
IP14 3BZ
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-23
Last: 2026-05-09

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

DUNLOP, Robert→
secretary · appointed 2002-05-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DUNLOP, Robert→
director · ~54y · appointed 2002-05-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OCS CORPORATE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2002-05-09 · resigned 2002-05-09
Resigned
LUMBY, Peter→
director · ~52y · appointed 2002-05-09 · resigned 2026-05-08
Resigned
OCS DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2002-05-09 · resigned 2002-05-09
Resigned

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

Recent filings (75 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-05
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-06-05
move-registers-to-registered-office-company-with-new-address
address · AD04
2026-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-05-05
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-31