"A" CERAMICS LIMITED
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. 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 (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 23.7y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (72/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsFinancials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|
| Average employees | 600 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-29📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2025-09-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-11-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-11-21🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-10-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-10-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2024-10-30📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-10-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-10-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-30📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2024-10-30📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-25➕MCGILLIVRAY, Roy Herbert appointedsecretary
- 2024-10-25➕MCGILLIVRAY, Roy Herbert appointeddirector
- 2024-10-25➖BAMFORD, Adele resignedsecretary
- 2024-10-25➖BAMFORD, Alan resigneddirector
- 2024-10-24📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-04-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-03-15➕BAMFORD, Adele appointedsecretary
- 2007-03-15➖MILLINGTON, Brian resignedsecretary
- 2002-09-26🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2002-07-30➕MILLINGTON, Brian appointedsecretary
- 2002-07-30➖HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-07-30➕BAMFORD, Alan appointeddirector
- 2002-07-30➖HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-07-25🏢Company incorporatedAs "A" CERAMICS LIMITED
- 2002-07-25➕HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-07-25➕HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
1 lowMultiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.
Group structure
Swift Dental Laboratory Limited holds majority control (50-75%). Likely parent but not wholly-owned.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Swift Dental Laboratory Limited Corporate entity | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 25/10/2024 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Adele Bamfordceased 25/10/2024· 25-50% shares
- Mr Alan Bamfordceased 25/10/2024· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Healthcare & medical · BL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360 HEALTHCARE HUB LTD→ 15573210 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A BUTT PHYSIOTHERAPY LIMITED→ 04194870 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| A FAHIM LTD→ 15942289 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AA HEALTH LTD→ 11032069 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AA INNOVATIONS LTD→ 14562393 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AA LOCUM SERVICES (UK) LIMITED→ 07621123 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AARIF GIJA CO LTD→ 12291222 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AB IMAGING SERVICES LIMITED→ 14773908 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABILITY CASE MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 11922424 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ABIODUN O.N LTD→ 14856405 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABIORA LIMITED→ 14027928 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABL HEALTH LIMITED→ 07074944 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 26/09/2002 | 21/11/2024 |