PIPPIN BUILDING PRODUCTS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04573772 · ltd · incorporated 2002-10-25
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 Mar 2022
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
63/100
Worth a look
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46130
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 50/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 84). Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (53/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 12.7y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 12.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
63/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
45
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
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£0Mar 2021Mar 2022

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2022-03-312021-03-31
Average employees100100

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

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 dissolution
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 dissolution
  • • 1 gazette
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-17
    📄
    dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspended
    dissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
  2. 2026-01-06
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  3. 2024-08-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2023-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-11-08
    📄
    second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
    confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
  7. 2020-12-04
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  8. 2020-12-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2020-12-02
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2020-12-02
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  11. 2020-11-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-02-03
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  13. 2020-02-03
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  14. 2019-12-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-11-04
    ➖
    BARTON SMITH, Barbara resigned
    secretary
  16. 2019-10-12
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  17. 2019-09-27
    ➖
    BARTON SMITH, Barbara resigned
    director
  18. 2018-11-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2017-11-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2016-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  21. 2013-08-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  22. 2003-04-08
    ➕
    BARTON SMITH, Shaun appointed
    director
  23. 2003-04-08
    ➕
    BARTON SMITH, Barbara appointed
    secretary
  24. 2003-04-08
    ➖
    BARTON SMITH, Helen resigned
    secretary
  25. 2002-10-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As PIPPIN BUILDING PRODUCTS LIMITED
  26. 2002-10-25
    ➕
    BARTON SMITH, Helen appointed
    secretary
  27. 2002-10-25
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2002-10-25
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 2002-10-25
    ➕
    BARTON SMITH, Barbara appointed
    director
  30. 2002-10-25
    ➕
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  31. 2002-10-25
    ➖
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  32. 2002-10-25
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  33. 2002-10-25
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 84 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
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 84 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • 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.

Red flags

2 high ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2024-03-31

Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2024-11-08

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Shaun Barton Smith
Individual · British · DOB 01/1942 · age 84
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Barbara Barton Smithceased 04/11/2019· 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.

🔒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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24 SEVEN FOOD SERVICE LIMITED→
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

11 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
Incorporated2002-10-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46130 — SIC 46130

Registered office

Forvis Mazars Llp 5th Floor, Merck House
Seldown Lane
Poole
Dorset
BH15 1TW
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2024-03-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2022-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2024-11-08OVERDUE
Last: 2023-10-25

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

BARTON SMITH, Shaun→
director · ~84y · appointed 2003-04-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARTON SMITH, Barbara→
secretary · appointed 2003-04-08 · resigned 2019-11-04
Resigned
BARTON SMITH, Helen→
secretary · appointed 2002-10-25 · resigned 2003-04-08
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-10-25 · resigned 2002-10-25
Resigned
BARTON SMITH, Barbara→
director · ~86y · appointed 2002-10-25 · resigned 2019-09-27
Resigned
COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-10-25 · resigned 2002-10-25
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-10-25 · resigned 2002-10-25
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property01/08/2013—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (72 total)

dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
2026-02-17
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2026-01-06
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-08-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-29
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2021-11-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-12-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-12-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-12-02
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-12-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-11-13