A1 OPTICAL RECRUITMENT LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
05010835 · ltd · incorporated 2004-01-09
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 2025
Net worth
£-3.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Temporary employment agency activities
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). 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 (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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
58 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £3,742
Net assets shrinking
Down £6,316 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£4k
↓ 245% YoY
Current Assets
£7k
↓ 21% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-3.7k | £2.6k |
| Current assets | £6.8k | £8.6k |
| Net assets | £-3.7k | £2.6k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-28➖HANDS, Debra Ann resigneddirector
- 2022-06-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-16📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-07-12➖HANDS, Steven James resignedsecretary
- 2021-03-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-05📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2016-02-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-20📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2004-06-01➕CUMISKEY, Sharon appointeddirector
- 2004-01-13➕HANDS, Steven James appointedsecretary
- 2004-01-13➖TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-01-13➕HANDS, Debra Ann appointeddirector
- 2004-01-13➖TEMPLES (COMPANY SERVICES) LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-01-09🏢Company incorporatedAs A1 OPTICAL RECRUITMENT LIMITED
- 2004-01-09➕TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-01-09➕TEMPLES (COMPANY SERVICES) LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Saron Cumiskey Individual · British · DOB 03/1966 · age 60 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 01/12/2016 |
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 · B postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7HQ LTD→ 16466345 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 88 LAW LTD→ 16035562 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A & A RECRUITMENT LIMITED→ 04746838 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A.ADEN LIMITED→ 16027627 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A1 TAX-EFFICIENT STRATEGIES LTD→ 15958297 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A1 TEACHING SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 05856293 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A1 VEHICLE RENTALS LIMITED→ 11337919 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A2 RECRUITMENT (UK) LIMITED→ 06554767 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| A247 STAFF LTD→ 16504582 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A2B FREIGHT LOGISTICS LIMITED→ 14034442 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A2B TAXI HIRE LTD→ 16404015 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A2B VAN COURIERS LTD→ 15665893 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-01-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC78200 — Temporary employment agency activities
Registered office
12 Arundel
Tamwoth
Staffs
B77 1JG
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-21
Last: 2026-01-07
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
CUMISKEY, Sharon→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2004-06-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HANDS, Steven James→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-01-13 · resigned 2021-07-12
TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-01-09 · resigned 2004-01-13
HANDS, Debra Ann→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 2004-01-13 · resigned 2022-06-28
TEMPLES (COMPANY SERVICES) LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-01-09 · resigned 2004-01-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (58 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-18
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-06-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-07
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-03