ACTIVE SURFACE TECHNOLOGY UK LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04726773 · ltd · incorporated 2003-04-08
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 Apr 2025
Net worth
£497
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
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: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 21.1y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.1 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
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
65 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 £497
Net assets shrinking
Down £4,117 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£497
↓ 89% YoY
Current Assets
£18k
↓ 61% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£9k£18k£28k£37k£46kApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Total assets£2.8k£5.6k
Current assets£17.9k£46.0k
Net assets£497£4.6k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-09-26
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2025-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-10-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-04-10
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  11. 2018-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-11-01
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2017-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-05-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2016-05-04
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2016-01-27
    ➖
    CLARK HOWES BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  17. 2011-04-06
    ➖
    CH BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  18. 2011-04-06
    ➕
    CLARK HOWES BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  19. 2005-04-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  20. 2005-02-16
    ➖
    FRENCH, Rodger Ernest Arthur resigned
    director
  21. 2005-01-26
    ➕
    BOWEY, Bradley Grahame appointed
    director
  22. 2003-04-15
    ➖
    A.C. SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  23. 2003-04-15
    ➕
    CH BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  24. 2003-04-15
    ➕
    FRENCH, Rodger Ernest Arthur appointed
    director
  25. 2003-04-15
    ➖
    A.C. DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 2003-04-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACTIVE SURFACE TECHNOLOGY UK LIMITED
  27. 2003-04-08
    ➕
    A.C. SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2003-04-08
    ➕
    A.C. DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    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 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.

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 67. 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 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • 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

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
Mr Bradley Grahame Bowey
Individual · British · DOB 10/1959 · age 67
75–100%
—75-100% shares30/06/2016

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

Similar companies

Active · Trade services · OX postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
A.D. WORKS LIMITED→
06646232 · est 2008 · no financials extracted
————17y——
ABINGDON BARBERS26 LTD→
16848546 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ABIWHOLEFOODS LTD→
09137091 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————11y——
ABOUTFACE HAIR & BEAUTY LTD→
04711514 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
————23y——
ABSINTHE CLEANERS LTD→
16939888 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
ACCELERATING EXPERT LEADERS LTD→
11412288 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
ACCOLO LIMITED→
15343984 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ACCUMEN MANAGEMENT LIMITED→
07827966 · est 2011 · no financials extracted
————14y——
ACORN TECHNICAL CONSULTING LIMITED→
06560677 · est 2008 · no financials extracted
————18y——
ACTIVE DOG ESSENTIALS LIMITED→
16063816 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ACTIVE DRIVEWAY & PATIO ABINGDON LIMITED→
12482645 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————6y——
AD ATELIER LTD→
16880669 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated2003-04-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Henton Lodge Farm
Henton
Chinnor
OX39 4AE
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-22
Last: 2026-04-08

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

BOWEY, Bradley Grahame→
director · ~67y · appointed 2005-01-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
A.C. SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-04-08 · resigned 2003-04-15
Resigned
CH BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2003-04-15 · resigned 2011-04-06
Resigned
CLARK HOWES BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2011-04-06 · resigned 2016-01-27
Resigned
FRENCH, Rodger Ernest Arthur→
director · ~68y · appointed 2003-04-15 · resigned 2005-02-16
Resigned
A.C. DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-04-08 · resigned 2003-04-15
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
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property15/04/2005—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (65 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-29
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-01-31