CHRIS NOBLE LTD
💤Zombieactive
04582378 · ltd · incorporated 2002-11-05
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 Nov 2024
Net worth
£60.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 23.7y
45/100
under pressure
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 (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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
58 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £60,382
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£60k
↑ 55% YoY
Current Assets
£49k
↑ 7.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £65.4k | £47.0k |
| Current assets | £48.6k | £45.3k |
| Net assets | £60.4k | £39.0k |
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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-20📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-11-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-11-05➖BARKER, Sylvia Georgina resignedsecretary
- 2004-09-18🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2003-04-22➕BARKER, Sylvia Georgina appointedsecretary
- 2003-04-22➖NOBLE, Caroline Mary resignedsecretary
- 2002-11-29🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2002-11-05🏢Company incorporatedAs CHRIS NOBLE LTD
- 2002-11-05➕NOBLE, Christopher Derek appointeddirector
- 2002-11-05➕GRAEME, Dorothy May appointednominee-secretary
- 2002-11-05➖GRAEME, Dorothy May resignednominee-secretary
- 2002-11-05➕NOBLE, Caroline Mary appointedsecretary
- 2002-11-05➕GRAEME, Lesley Joyce appointednominee-director
- 2002-11-05➖GRAEME, Lesley Joyce resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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 "NOBLE" — 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 candidateStrong 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Christopher Derek Noble Individual · British · DOB 07/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AXEL 123 LIMITED→ 14863044 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BRIKSELR LIMITED→ 02238722 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| CANAL TOYS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED→ 11132457 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CLZENS LTD→ 15385421 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CMB COMPUTERS LTD→ 09253803 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| CMG SALES LTD→ 10719575 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| COACH AND STABLES LTD→ 12347251 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| COASTLINE ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 02262524 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| COIDAN GRAPHITE PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 05098271 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| COMMUNITY UK LIMITED→ 05423707 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| CONVICTED VAPES LTD→ 14955040 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| COOL T LIMITED→ 12950299 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-11-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46390 — Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco
Registered office
Red House Farm
Eskdaleside, Sleights
Whitby
North Yorkshire
YO22 5ES
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-19
Last: 2025-11-05
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
NOBLE, Christopher Derek→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2002-11-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BARKER, Sylvia Georgina→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-04-22 · resigned 2012-11-05
GRAEME, Dorothy May→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 2002-11-05 · resigned 2002-11-05
NOBLE, Caroline Mary→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-11-05 · resigned 2003-04-22
GRAEME, Lesley Joyce→
Resignednominee-director · ~73y · appointed 2002-11-05 · resigned 2002-11-05
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 29/11/2002 | 18/09/2004 |
Recent filings (58 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-04-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-11-20