STERLING NEWMEDIA LTD
💤Zombieactive
05038057 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-09
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Business and domestic software development
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 62020Information technology consultancy activities
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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, 2 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
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
54 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-28 |
|---|
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
5
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
6
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-23📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-02-22📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-02-22📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-02-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-02-21➖NABI, Syed Zahidun resignedsecretary
- 2026-02-21➖NABI, Syed Zahidun resigneddirector
- 2025-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2004-02-09🏢Company incorporatedAs STERLING NEWMEDIA LTD
- 2004-02-09➕KHAN, Imrul Karim appointeddirector
- 2004-02-09➕NABI, Syed Zahidun appointedsecretary
- 2004-02-09➕QUEEN SQUARE SECRETARIES LTD appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-02-09➖QUEEN SQUARE SECRETARIES LTD resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-02-09➕NABI, Syed Zahidun appointeddirector
- 2004-02-09➕QUEEN SQUARE HOLDINGS LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
- 2004-02-09➖QUEEN SQUARE HOLDINGS LIMITED resignedcorporate-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 58 — 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 58. 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
1 med ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: NABI, Syed Zahidun resigned 2026-02-21; NABI, Syed Zahidun resigned 2026-02-21
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Syed Zahidun Nabi Individual · British · DOB 02/1975 · age 51 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 23/03/2026 |
Mr Imrul Karim Khan Individual · British · DOB 08/1968 · age 58 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 09/02/2017 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Syed Zahidun Nabiceased 21/02/2026· 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.
Similar companies
Active · Technology · IG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 DOTS LIMITED→ 14542568 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 10EX REALTY VENTURES LTD→ 16819130 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1521 PRODUCTIONS LIMITED→ 14492838 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 16215114 LIMITED→ 16215114 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 180GIG LTD→ 16306846 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 1EXECUMEDICAL LTD→ 10524158 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 1ST STREET LTD→ 13602762 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 3DLIBRARY LTD→ 14192072 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 3L CONSULTING LIMITED→ 10332597 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 4NDS NETWORK LTD→ 15574766 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 5 STAR LAPTOPS LTD→ 16058192 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 5P PRODUCTIONS LTD→ 15786296 · 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
Incorporated2004-02-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC62012 — Business and domestic software development
Registered office
51 Springfield Drive
Barkingside Ilford
Essex
IG2 6PT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-23
Last: 2026-02-09
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
KHAN, Imrul Karim→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2004-02-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
NABI, Syed Zahidun→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-02-09 · resigned 2026-02-21
QUEEN SQUARE SECRETARIES LTD→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2004-02-09 · resigned 2004-02-09
NABI, Syed Zahidun→
Resigneddirector · ~51y · appointed 2004-02-09 · resigned 2026-02-21
QUEEN SQUARE HOLDINGS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2004-02-09 · resigned 2004-02-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (54 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-03-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-23
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-02-22
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-02-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-11-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-17