ALFORD IP LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04981817 · ltd · incorporated 2003-12-02
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£125.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Research and experimental development on biotechnology
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle 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: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -97% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
8 connected companies via shared directors
69
Filing history
76 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £124,950
Cash draining
Cash down 97% YoY
Cash YoY
-97%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£489
↓ 97% YoY
Net Worth
£125k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£107k
↓ 6.9% 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 | £127.0k | £126.1k |
| Current assets | £107.3k | £115.2k |
| Cash | £489 | £15.8k |
| Debtors | £106.8k | £99.4k |
| Net assets | £125.0k | £124.0k |
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 (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2023-08-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-16📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-02-10➖ALFORD, Sidney Christopher, Dr resigneddirector
- 2020-04-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-11-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-04-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-23📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-03-23✏️change-of-name-noticechange-of-name · CONNOT
- 2018-04-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-30➖ALFORD, Itsuko resignedsecretary
- 2017-06-30➖ALFORD, Itsuko resigneddirector
- 2003-12-02🏢Company incorporatedAs ALFORD IP LIMITED
- 2003-12-02➕ALFORD, Roland Takeshi appointeddirector
- 2003-12-02➕ALFORD, Itsuko appointedsecretary
- 2003-12-02➕SECRETARIAL APPOINTMENTS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-12-02➖SECRETARIAL APPOINTMENTS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-12-02➕ALFORD, Itsuko appointeddirector
- 2003-12-02➕ALFORD, Sidney Christopher, Dr appointeddirector
- 2003-12-02➕CORPORATE APPOINTMENTS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-12-02➖CORPORATE APPOINTMENTS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ALFORD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +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.)
Group structure
Alford Technology Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Alford Technology Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
ALFORD IP LIMITED
This company · 04981817
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Alford Technology Group Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 22/08/2023 |
4 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Alford Technology Holdings Ltdceased 22/08/2023· 75-100% shares
- Mrs Itsuko Alfordceased 05/04/2017· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
- Mr Roland Takeshi Alfordceased 05/04/2017· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
- Dr Sidney Christopher Alfordceased 05/04/2017· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · 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
Active · Professional services · BA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALEXANDER MAE (HR) LTD→ 06976654 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ALIAS INVESTMENTS LTD→ 16352175 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALICE CARTLEDGE ARCHITECTS LTD→ 16262716 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALIX GILMER CONSULTING LTD→ 15255678 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALLEVIATE HOSPITALITY LTD→ 13638561 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ALWAYS ONWARDS LTD.→ 08054558 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AMOEBA TECH LTD→ 14622874 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AMPERSAND LEGAL LIMITED→ 05374022 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AMY JONES ARCHITECTS LTD→ 16013781 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ANA.M CONSULTING LTD→ 17057214 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANALYTICALLY MINDED LIMITED→ 09807159 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ANCIENT HORSE LIMITED→ 07614434 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-12-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC72110 — Research and experimental development on biotechnology
Registered office
Alford House Epsom Square
White Horse Business Park
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 0XG
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-05
Last: 2025-08-22
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
ALFORD, Roland Takeshi→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2003-12-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ALFORD, Itsuko→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2017-06-30
SECRETARIAL APPOINTMENTS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2003-12-02
ALFORD, Itsuko→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2017-06-30
ALFORD, Sidney Christopher, Dr→
Resigneddirector · ~91y · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2021-02-10
CORPORATE APPOINTMENTS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2003-12-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (76 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-22
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2023-08-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-11
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2021-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-26
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-16