ACTIVE DESIGNS & IDEAS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04451287 · ltd · incorporated 2002-05-30
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
£4
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 32409
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). 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 (78/100)

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
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
73 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £4

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
£4
~ YoY
Current Assets
£4
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
£0£1£2£2£3£4Feb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-02-282024-02-28
Total assets£4£4
Current assets£4£4
Net assets£4£4

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
  1. 2025-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-09-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-11-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-04
    KILPIN-MILLER, Rachel Elizabeth resigned
    director
  6. 2022-05-04
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2021-06-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-07-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-06-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-07-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-05-31
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2016-05-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-08-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-05-27
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2014-07-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  17. 2014-05-27
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2013-01-10
    MILLER, Michael John resigned
    director
  19. 2009-04-20
    DOHERTY, Johanne Elizabeth appointed
    director
  20. 2009-04-20
    LANCASTER, Carol Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  21. 2009-04-20
    ALFANDARY, Rebecca Jane resigned
    director
  22. 2009-04-20
    KILPIN-MILLER, Rachel Elizabeth appointed
    director
  23. 2009-04-20
    MILLER, Michael John appointed
    director
  24. 2002-06-07
    LANCASTER, Carol Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  25. 2002-06-07
    WHITE ROSE FORMATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2002-06-07
    ALFANDARY, Rebecca Jane appointed
    director
  27. 2002-06-07
    WRF INTERNATIONAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 2002-05-30
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACTIVE DESIGNS & IDEAS LIMITED
  29. 2002-05-30
    WHITE ROSE FORMATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2002-05-30
    WRF INTERNATIONAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

93/100
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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

88/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
  • 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.)

Group structure

Mike Miller Associates Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Mike Miller Associates Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
ACTIVE DESIGNS & IDEAS LIMITED
This company · 04451287

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mike Miller Associates Limited
Corporate entity
75100%
75-100% shares19/04/2017

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 →

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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
Incorporated2002-05-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32409 — SIC 32409

Registered office

The Old Brewery
Caldbeck
Wigton
Cumbria
CA7 8EW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-09
Last: 2025-05-26

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

DOHERTY, Johanne Elizabeth
director · ~64y · appointed 2009-04-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LANCASTER, Carol Elizabeth
secretary · appointed 2002-06-07 · resigned 2009-04-20
Resigned
WHITE ROSE FORMATIONS LIMITED
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-05-30 · resigned 2002-06-07
Resigned
ALFANDARY, Rebecca Jane
director · ~55y · appointed 2002-06-07 · resigned 2009-04-20
Resigned
KILPIN-MILLER, Rachel Elizabeth
director · ~59y · appointed 2009-04-20 · resigned 2022-05-04
Resigned
MILLER, Michael John
director · ~86y · appointed 2009-04-20 · resigned 2013-01-10
Resigned
WRF INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-05-30 · resigned 2002-06-07
Resigned

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

Recent filings (73 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-06-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-27
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-05-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-06-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-06-05