ENGDESIGN LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04846834 · ltd · incorporated 2003-07-28
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 21.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Architectural activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 71129Other engineering activities
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 74). 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 (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 21.1y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (57/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
11 officers (5 active, 11 linked, 7 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
74 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
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
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
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 (34 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-05-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-11-30➕GOWAD, Omar appointeddirector
- 2022-04-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-26➕SKINNER, Martin appointedsecretary
- 2017-10-26➖YORK SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2017-10-26📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2017-10-26📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2017-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-09-17➖HICKS, Clive Peter resigneddirector
- 2007-11-01➕HAFIZ, Imran appointeddirector
- 2007-11-01➕SKINNER, Martin Edward appointeddirector
- 2007-10-31➖ZUERCHER, Hanno Rhett resigneddirector
- 2007-04-30➖COATES, Robert Thomson resigneddirector
- 2006-12-08➖ZUERCHER, Eleanor Jane resignedsecretary
- 2006-12-08➕YORK SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2005-04-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2004-07-15➕ZUERCHER, Eleanor Jane appointedsecretary
- 2004-07-15➖ZUERCHER, Hanno Rhett resignedsecretary
- 2003-07-28🏢Company incorporatedAs ENGDESIGN LIMITED
- 2003-07-28➕DOW, Martin Roderick appointeddirector
- 2003-07-28➕ZUERCHER, Hanno Rhett appointedsecretary
- 2003-07-28➕COATES, Robert Thomson appointeddirector
- 2003-07-28➕HICKS, Clive Peter appointeddirector
- 2003-07-28➕ZUERCHER, Hanno Rhett appointeddirector
Owner dependency
65/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
90/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Martin Roderick Dow Individual · British · DOB 06/1952 · age 74 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Imran Hafiz Individual · British · DOB 12/1974 · age 52 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Martin Edward Skinner Individual · British · DOB 10/1964 · age 62 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · SE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACCOUNTING FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED→ 06886715 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ACCURAC LIMITED→ 01600738 · est 1981 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
| ACERO CONSULTING LIMITED→ 07486766 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ACLAÍ LTD→ 16629283 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACME SECURITY LIMITED→ 16515634 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACP UK CONSULTING LTD→ 16000227 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACQUISIA ADVISORY LIMITED→ 16976652 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTIVATE GROWTH LTD→ 16140744 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACTORS IN INDUSTRY LTD→ 06626895 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ACTUARIAL ADVISORY SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16793614 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACX UK LTD→ 13615291 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACXIT CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 11005571 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-07-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC71111 — Architectural activities
Registered office
106-108 Bermondsey Street
London
SE1 3TX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-11
Last: 2025-07-28
Officers (5 active · 6 resigned)
Active
DOW, Martin Roderick→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2003-07-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HAFIZ, Imran→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 2007-11-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SKINNER, Martin Edward→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2007-11-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ZUERCHER, Eleanor Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-07-15 · resigned 2006-12-08
ZUERCHER, Hanno Rhett→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-07-28 · resigned 2004-07-15
YORK SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2006-12-08 · resigned 2017-10-26
COATES, Robert Thomson→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 2003-07-28 · resigned 2007-04-30
HICKS, Clive Peter→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 2003-07-28 · resigned 2009-09-17
ZUERCHER, Hanno Rhett→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 2003-07-28 · resigned 2007-10-31
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 14/04/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (74 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-31
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-07-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-02-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-31
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-07-01