A & B PLATINUM DECORATORS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04763167 · ltd · incorporated 2003-05-13
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Painting
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company 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
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
73 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1 | 100 |
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 (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-21📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-03-07➖HOWLE, Kerry Ann resigneddirector
- 2024-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-17📍move-registers-to-registered-office-company-with-new-addressaddress · AD04
- 2023-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-22📍change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2023-05-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-05-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-05-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-10➖HALL, Jane resignedsecretary
- 2021-12-10➕HOWLE, Kerry Ann appointeddirector
- 2021-12-10📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-12-10📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2020-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-06-15➕HALL, Jane appointedsecretary
- 2007-06-15➖HOWLE, Barbara resignedsecretary
- 2007-06-15➖HOWLE, Barbara resigneddirector
- 2006-06-01➕HOWLE, Barbara appointeddirector
- 2003-05-13🏢Company incorporatedAs A & B PLATINUM DECORATORS LIMITED
- 2003-05-13➕HOWLE, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2003-05-13➕HOWLE, Barbara appointedsecretary
- 2003-05-13➕NIXON, Tracey appointedsecretary
- 2003-05-13➖NIXON, Tracey resignedsecretary
- 2003-05-13➕KENDREW, Hilary appointeddirector
- 2003-05-13➖KENDREW, Hilary resigneddirector
Owner dependency
85/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- 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 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Kerry Ann Howle Individual · British · DOB 01/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/06/2022 |
Mr Andrew Howle Individual · British · DOB 04/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Construction · ST postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 LIFTING LTD→ 16223481 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 1ST.CZECH MADE LTD→ 12150939 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 2H GROUP LTD→ 11162793 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| 3 D CONSTRUCTION (UK) LIMITED→ 04681892 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| 3D GAS & PLUMBING LIMITED→ 13303892 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 5 STAR ROOFING - STOKE ON TRENT LTD→ 16896247 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 71 OLD PENK LTD→ 13876639 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 786 PROPERTY SERVICES LTD→ 12740891 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A B PROJECTS LIMITED→ 07340955 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| A B PROPERTY & DEVELOPMENT HOLDINGS LTD→ 13062242 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A&A PLUMBING AND HEATING LTD→ 13476259 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A&C BUSINESS LTD→ 12884631 · 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
Incorporated2003-05-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43341 — Painting
Registered office
35 Briarswood
Biddulph
Stoke-On-Trent
Staffordshire
ST8 6BW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-27
Last: 2025-05-13
Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)
HOWLE, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2003-05-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HALL, Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-06-15 · resigned 2021-12-10
HOWLE, Barbara→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-05-13 · resigned 2007-06-15
NIXON, Tracey→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-05-13 · resigned 2003-05-13
HOWLE, Barbara→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 2006-06-01 · resigned 2007-06-15
HOWLE, Kerry Ann→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 2021-12-10 · resigned 2025-03-07
KENDREW, Hilary→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2003-05-13 · resigned 2003-05-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (73 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-15
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-17
move-registers-to-registered-office-company-with-new-address
address · AD04
2024-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-address
address · AD02
2023-05-22
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-05-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-21