APEX BRICKCUTTERS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04938832 · ltd · incorporated 2003-10-21
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£535.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 23320
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -30% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 8.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 8.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 6 total, 6 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
70 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £535,534
Net assets shrinking
Down £81,560 YoY
Cash YoY
-30%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£397k
↓ 30% YoY
Net Worth
£536k
↓ 13% YoY
Current Assets
£650k
↓ 21% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £601.8k | £698.6k |
| Current assets | £650.4k | £826.5k |
| Cash | £397.2k | £570.9k |
| Debtors | £253.2k | £255.5k |
| Net assets | £535.5k | £617.1k |
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 (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-10-28📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-10-28📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-10-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-15📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2025-05-14📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2025-04-16📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-04-03➖ADDLESHAW GODDARD (SCOTLAND) SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2024-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-05📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2021-11-03📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2021-11-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-01➕ADDLESHAW GODDARD (SCOTLAND) SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2020-04-01➖BRODIES SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2018-04-29➕BRODIES SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2018-04-17🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2004-03-09➕MCMICHAEL, Jane Ann appointedsecretary
- 2004-03-09➖ARUNA CONSULTANCY LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2003-10-28➕MCMICHAEL, James Ian appointeddirector
- 2003-10-28➕MCMICHAEL, Jane Ann appointeddirector
- 2003-10-28➖DAVIES, David Lewis resigneddirector
- 2003-10-21🏢Company incorporatedAs APEX BRICKCUTTERS LIMITED
- 2003-10-21➕ARUNA CONSULTANCY LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2003-10-21➕DAVIES, David Lewis appointeddirector
Owner dependency
91/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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 Jane Ann Mcmichael Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 28/10/2025 |
Mr James Ian Mcmichael Individual · British · DOB 06/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 28/10/2025 |
4 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Brickability Holdings Uk Limitedceased 03/04/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr James Mcmichaelceased 31/03/2017· board control
- Brickability Holdings Limitedceased 31/03/2017· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting
- Mrs Jane Ann Mcmichaelceased 31/03/2017· board control
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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATELIER COACHWORKS LIMITED→ 15983168 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ATELIER COMPOSITES LIMITED→ 15517030 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ATELIER PERFORMANCE COATINGS LIMITED→ 15983352 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ATOMIC DENTAL LAB LTD→ 13757421 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| B.C.T.ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 01019033 · est 1971 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 54y | — | — |
| B1 MASTA TECH LTD→ 14575516 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BADON COMPOSITES LIMITED→ 11120974 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BAGSPORT FABRICATIONS LTD→ 13927339 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BALLAIR LIMITED→ 15277274 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BAND PASS LIMITED→ 05251952 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| BARKS AND BIKES LTD→ 15905643 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BARMALOVEDA LTD→ 16509877 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-10-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC23320 — SIC 23320
Registered office
Aruna House 2 Kings Road
Haslemere
Surrey
GU27 2QA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-11
Last: 2025-10-28
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
MCMICHAEL, Jane Ann→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-03-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCMICHAEL, James Ian→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2003-10-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCMICHAEL, Jane Ann→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2003-10-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ADDLESHAW GODDARD (SCOTLAND) SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2020-04-01 · resigned 2025-04-03
ARUNA CONSULTANCY LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2003-10-21 · resigned 2004-03-09
BRODIES SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2018-04-29 · resigned 2020-04-01
DAVIES, David Lewis→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2003-10-21 · resigned 2003-10-28
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 | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 17/04/2018 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (70 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-10-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-10-28
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-10-28
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-10-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-10-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2025-05-15
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2025-05-14
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-04-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-23