ALAN R CROSS & SON LTD

🌳Matureactive
04474369 · ltd · incorporated 2002-07-01
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£279.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 33140
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 76). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
63 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 · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £279,001
Cash YoY
+2%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£293k
↑ 2.4% YoY
Net Worth
£279k
↑ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£386k
↓ 2.8% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£80k£159k£239k£318k£398kMay 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
Total assets£288.2k£254.0k
Current assets£386.4k£397.5k
Cash£293.3k£286.6k
Debtors£85.6k£96.2k
Net assets£279.0k£234.8k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-11-15
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-10-31
    ➖
    HURN, Kevin Leslie resigned
    director
  4. 2025-02-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-09-06
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  7. 2023-09-01
    ➕
    BROWN, David appointed
    director
  8. 2023-02-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-05-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-02-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-02-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-07-12
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2015-06-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2015-02-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  19. 2014-05-31
    ➖
    CROSS, Alan Robert resigned
    director
  20. 2014-04-06
    ➕
    HURN, Kevin Leslie appointed
    director
  21. 2002-07-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ALAN R CROSS & SON LTD
  22. 2002-07-01
    ➕
    BROWN, Tracey appointed
    secretary
  23. 2002-07-01
    ➕
    CROSS, Richard appointed
    director
  24. 2002-07-01
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2002-07-01
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2002-07-01
    ➕
    CROSS, Alan Robert appointed
    director
  27. 2002-07-01
    ➕
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 2002-07-01
    ➖
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CROSS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 76 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Richard Cross
Individual · British · DOB 07/1950 · age 76
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated2002-07-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC33140 — SIC 33140

Registered office

22a Station Road
Wymondham
Norfolk
NR18 0JX

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-04
Last: 2025-06-20

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

BROWN, Tracey→
secretary · appointed 2002-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BROWN, David→
director · ~57y · appointed 2023-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CROSS, Richard→
director · ~76y · appointed 2002-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-07-01 · resigned 2002-07-01
Resigned
CROSS, Alan Robert→
director · ~107y · appointed 2002-07-01 · resigned 2014-05-31
Resigned
HURN, Kevin Leslie→
director · ~60y · appointed 2014-04-06 · resigned 2025-10-31
Resigned
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-07-01 · resigned 2002-07-01
Resigned

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

Recent filings (63 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-26
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-26
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-02-26