AIM COMMERCIAL CATERING EQUIPMENT LTD
🌳Matureactive
04966282 · ltd · incorporated 2003-11-17
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 22.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£84.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Repair of machinery
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 68). 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
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 22.4y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
80 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 £84,550
Cash YoY
-7%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£129k
↓ 6.8% YoY
Net Worth
£85k
↑ 96% YoY
Current Assets
£289k
↑ 6.7% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £105.6k | £76.7k |
| Current assets | £289.4k | £271.1k |
| Cash | £128.9k | £138.3k |
| Debtors | £135.5k | £107.8k |
| Net assets | £84.5k | £43.1k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-03-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-02-07➖WARREN, Andrew John resigneddirector
- 2023-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-20📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-10-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2021-03-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-23📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2020-01-23📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2020-01-23📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2020-01-03📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-06-25📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2004-12-20➕C A MILLS BUSINESS SERVICES LTD appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-12-20➖JAMES, Ian Charles resignedsecretary
- 2004-01-29🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-11-19➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-11-19➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-11-17🏢Company incorporatedAs AIM COMMERCIAL CATERING EQUIPMENT LTD
- 2003-11-17➕BOULTON, Michael John appointeddirector
- 2003-11-17➕JAMES, Ian Charles appointeddirector
- 2003-11-17➕JAMES, Ian Charles appointedsecretary
- 2003-11-17➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-11-17➕WARREN, Andrew John appointeddirector
- 2003-11-17➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
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 68 — succession pressure is live.
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 68. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ian Charles James Individual · British · DOB 11/1958 · age 68 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Michael John Boulton Individual · British · DOB 03/1966 · age 60 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Andrew John Warrenceased 07/02/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · Manufacturing · GL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A A MASON LIMITED→ 06636917 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| A&M ENERGY FIRES LTD→ 12666542 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AGD SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 02666988 · est 1991 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
| AGH AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING LTD→ 15368584 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AIS SUBSEA LTD→ 05592264 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| AJ TIMBERCRAFT LTD→ 15477566 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AJW SOLUTIONS (UK) LIMITED→ 06581025 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AKIHI LIMITED→ 14721151 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALAN CLARK ENGINEERING 1991 LTD→ 11805784 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ALBANY ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED(THE)→ 00313089 · est 1936 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 90y | — | — |
| ALBANY ENGINEERING GROUP LIMITED→ 06541919 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ALCHEMY WELLBEING LTD→ 09207912 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-11-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC33120 — Repair of machinery
Registered office
Hay Jen
Colliers Field
Cinderford
Gloucestershire
GL14 2SW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-11
Last: 2026-03-28
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
C A MILLS BUSINESS SERVICES LTD→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 2004-12-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOULTON, Michael John→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2003-11-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JAMES, Ian Charles→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2003-11-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JAMES, Ian Charles→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-11-17 · resigned 2004-12-20
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-11-17 · resigned 2003-11-19
WARREN, Andrew John→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 2003-11-17 · resigned 2024-02-07
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-11-17 · resigned 2003-11-19
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 12/10/2021 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 29/01/2004 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (80 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-03-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-29
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-10-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-01