A & E FURNITURE STORES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04439210 · ltd · incorporated 2002-05-15
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
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What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of furniture, lighting, and similar (not musical instruments or scores) in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
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
9 officers (1 active, 9 linked, 6 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
68 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 · FRS 102
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Average employees171600

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-03-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-12-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-01-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-10-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-03-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-05-23
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-10-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-05-29
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-10-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2014-06-02
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2009-05-15
    ➖
    HAYES, Andrew Dennis resigned
    secretary
  17. 2008-05-15
    ➖
    HAYES, John Peter resigned
    director
  18. 2004-02-01
    ➕
    HAYES, John Peter appointed
    director
  19. 2004-02-01
    ➖
    HAYES, Michael Stephen Peter resigned
    director
  20. 2003-07-21
    ➕
    HAYES, Andrew Dennis appointed
    secretary
  21. 2003-05-19
    ➕
    HAYES, Andrew Dennis appointed
    director
  22. 2003-05-19
    ➖
    HAYES, Emma resigned
    secretary
  23. 2003-05-19
    ➖
    HAYES, Emma resigned
    director
  24. 2002-11-25
    ➖
    BERRY, Andrew resigned
    director
  25. 2002-11-25
    ➕
    HAYES, Michael Stephen Peter appointed
    director
  26. 2002-05-15
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A & E FURNITURE STORES LIMITED
  27. 2002-05-15
    ➕
    HAYES, Emma appointed
    secretary
  28. 2002-05-15
    ➕
    THOMAS, Howard appointed
    nominee-secretary
  29. 2002-05-15
    ➖
    THOMAS, Howard resigned
    nominee-secretary
  30. 2002-05-15
    ➕
    BERRY, Andrew appointed
    director
  31. 2002-05-15
    ➕
    HAYES, Emma appointed
    director
  32. 2002-05-15
    ➕
    TESTER, William Andrew Joseph appointed
    nominee-director
  33. 2002-05-15
    ➖
    TESTER, William Andrew Joseph resigned
    nominee-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 23 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 23 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
Andrew Dennis Hayes
Individual · British · DOB 03/1969 · age 57
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting15/05/2017

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

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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
Incorporated2002-05-15
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47599 — Retail sale of furniture, lighting, and similar (not musical instruments or scores) in specialised stores

Registered office

Capital House 272 Manchester Road
Droylsden
Manchester
M43 6PW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-29
Last: 2026-05-15

Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)

HAYES, Andrew Dennis→
director · ~57y · appointed 2003-05-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HAYES, Andrew Dennis→
secretary · appointed 2003-07-21 · resigned 2009-05-15
Resigned
HAYES, Emma→
secretary · appointed 2002-05-15 · resigned 2003-05-19
Resigned
THOMAS, Howard→
nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-05-15 · resigned 2002-05-15
Resigned
BERRY, Andrew→
director · ~54y · appointed 2002-05-15 · resigned 2002-11-25
Resigned
HAYES, Emma→
director · ~51y · appointed 2002-05-15 · resigned 2003-05-19
Resigned
HAYES, John Peter→
director · ~81y · appointed 2004-02-01 · resigned 2008-05-15
Resigned
HAYES, Michael Stephen Peter→
director · ~55y · appointed 2002-11-25 · resigned 2004-02-01
Resigned
TESTER, William Andrew Joseph→
nominee-director · ~64y · appointed 2002-05-15 · resigned 2002-05-15
Resigned

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

Recent filings (68 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-16