AIRPORT EXPRESS (WEST MIDLANDS) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04900815 · ltd · incorporated 2003-09-16
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
£5.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 49320
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 71). 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).
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 (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 £5,453
Net assets shrinking
Down £3,514 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£5k
↓ 39% YoY
Current Assets
£51k
↑ 15% YoY
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £5.5k | £9.0k |
| Current assets | £51.2k | £44.4k |
| Net assets | £5.5k | £9.0k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- 2025-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-22➖WATKISS, Lynn resignedsecretary
- 2022-04-22📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-04-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-04-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-04-22📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-04-08➖ROBERTS, Barry John resigneddirector
- 2022-03-11➕WATKISS, Lynn appointeddirector
- 2022-03-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2009-10-19➖HANWELL, Jillian Margaret resignedsecretary
- 2009-10-19➕WATKISS, Lynn appointedsecretary
- 2003-09-18➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-09-18➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-09-16🏢Company incorporatedAs AIRPORT EXPRESS (WEST MIDLANDS) LIMITED
- 2003-09-16➕HANWELL, Jillian Margaret appointedsecretary
- 2003-09-16➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-09-16➕ROBERTS, Barry John appointeddirector
- 2003-09-16➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
90/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
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 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Lynn Watkiss Individual · British · DOB 02/1955 · age 71 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 08/04/2022 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Barry Robertsceased 08/04/2022· 50-75% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALEX LOGISTICS LTD→ 10476717 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ALL COUNTIES TRUCK MOVEMENTS LIMITED→ 15282305 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALOHA LTD→ 15122495 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALPHA TRANSPORT SERVCE LTD→ 13566899 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AM RECOVERY AND TYRES LTD→ 16226094 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ANTELOPE LOGISTICS LIMITED→ 15006060 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ANTONIA2018 EXPERT LTD→ 13989525 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AOJJ LIMITED→ 16774329 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| APOLLO TRANSPORT LTD→ 13152447 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ARCS TRANSIT LTD→ 16377856 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARDAS TRANSPORT LTD→ 13494900 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ARMSTRONG BAINBRIDGE STORAGE LTD→ 15674073 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-09-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49320 — SIC 49320
Registered office
16 Saxon Road
Penkridge
Stafford
ST19 5EP
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-13
Last: 2025-08-30
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
WATKISS, Lynn→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2022-03-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HANWELL, Jillian Margaret→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-09-16 · resigned 2009-10-19
WATKISS, Lynn→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2009-10-19 · resigned 2022-04-22
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-09-16 · resigned 2003-09-18
ROBERTS, Barry John→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2003-09-16 · resigned 2022-04-08
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-09-16 · resigned 2003-09-18
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (61 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-13
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-03-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-07
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-04-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-04-22
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-04-22
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-04-22
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-15