IAN STUBBS DESIGN ASSOCIATES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04485462 · ltd · incorporated 2002-07-14
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 Aug 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
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: Urban planning and landscape architectural activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company 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 (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
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 1 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
64 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.

Key financials

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

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-08-312024-08-31
Average employees100100

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-03-07
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2021-03-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-04-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-01-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-01-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-07-14
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  12. 2017-03-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-02-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-07-29
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  15. 2015-07-21
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2013-07-18
    ➖
    STUBBS, Elsie Hutton resigned
    secretary
  17. 2002-08-22
    ➖
    CLARK, Stephen John resigned
    secretary
  18. 2002-08-22
    ➕
    STUBBS, Elsie Hutton appointed
    secretary
  19. 2002-07-14
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As IAN STUBBS DESIGN ASSOCIATES LIMITED
  20. 2002-07-14
    ➕
    STUBBS, Ian appointed
    director
  21. 2002-07-14
    ➕
    CLARK, Stephen John appointed
    secretary

Owner dependency

100/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "STUBBS" — 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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
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.
  • 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
Ian Stubbs
Individual · British · DOB 06/1962 · age 64
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Ian Stubbsceased 07/03/2022· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control

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

Similar companies

Active · Professional services · LN postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
2 BRIDGE THE GAP LIMITED→
05146073 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————21y——
360 RURAL LIMITED→
13542099 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
AAKOS LIMITED→
11865556 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————7y——
AARON ARCHITECTURAL LIMITED→
14750959 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————3y——
ACCENTUATE CONSULTING GROUP LTD→
15125722 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ACCILE LIMITED→
15142954 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ACCOMPLISH TODAY LIMITED→
09079700 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————11y——
ACE SAFETY TRAINING & CONSULTANCY LIMITED→
15295054 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ACTIVE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS LIMITED→
06936254 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
————16y——
ACUITY WILL WRITERS LTD→
14835382 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ADVANCED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY LTD→
11107051 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
————8y——
ADVANCED VIRTUAL APPOINTERS LTD→
14291888 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————3y——
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
Incorporated2002-07-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC71112 — Urban planning and landscape architectural activities

Registered office

Pear Tree Farm Main Road
Saltfleetby
Louth
Lincolnshire
LN11 7TP
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-28
Last: 2025-07-14

Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)

STUBBS, Ian→
director · ~64y · appointed 2002-07-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CLARK, Stephen John→
secretary · appointed 2002-07-14 · resigned 2002-08-22
Resigned
STUBBS, Elsie Hutton→
secretary · appointed 2002-08-22 · resigned 2013-07-18
Resigned

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

Recent filings (64 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-03-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-12
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-03-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-04-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-26