A W RULE & SON GUN MAKERS LTD
💤Zombieactive
04694729 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-12
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 2025
Net worth
£188.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. 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 (58/100).
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
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
68 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £188,783
Cash YoY
+11%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£180k
↑ 11% YoY
Net Worth
£189k
↑ 10.0% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | £180.4k | £162.2k |
| Net assets | £188.8k | £171.6k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-06📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-03-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-15📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-08-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2010-01-12➕RULE, Jennifer appointedsecretary
- 2010-01-12➖RULE, Gareth resignedsecretary
- 2010-01-12➖RULE, Anthony resigneddirector
- 2008-04-30➕RULE, Gareth appointeddirector
- 2003-03-12🏢Company incorporatedAs A W RULE & SON GUN MAKERS LTD
- 2003-03-12➕RULE, Gareth appointedsecretary
- 2003-03-12➕ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-12➖ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-12➕PELLATT, James Michael appointednominee-director
- 2003-03-12➖PELLATT, James Michael resignednominee-director
- 2003-03-12➕RULE, Anthony appointeddirector
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 "RULE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Jennifer Rule Individual · British · DOB 05/1942 · age 84 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Gareth Rule Individual · British · DOB 06/1978 · age 48 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 02/05/2023 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Retail · TA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AERIAL ATTIRE LTD→ 11819473 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AFRICAN ARTISANS LIMITED→ 05763975 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| AIRARMSSPARES.COM LTD→ 04627848 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ALL4CHRIST CLOTHING LTD→ 17046444 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALLOTMENT FASHION LTD→ 11489998 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ANCHORS DROP LIMITED→ 14211939 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ANZOFF LTD→ 07240405 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| APPLE COUNTY CYCLES LIMITED→ 15231878 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARKSTONE TCG LIMITED→ 16861444 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AROMA ICE TAUNTON LIMITED→ 04469742 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ART OF AFRICA LTD→ 08665725 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ARTCOMBE LTD→ 15425095 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-03-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47789 — Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Registered office
A W Rule & Son Gun Makers Ltd
Sun House
Somerton
TA11 6SB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-17
Last: 2026-05-03
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
Active
RULE, Gareth→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2008-04-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RULE, Gareth→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-03-12 · resigned 2010-01-12
ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-12 · resigned 2003-03-12
PELLATT, James Michael→
Resignednominee-director · ~81y · appointed 2003-03-12 · resigned 2003-03-12
RULE, Anthony→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · appointed 2003-03-12 · resigned 2010-01-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (68 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-05-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-17
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-11