APPIN FILMS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

05098874 · ltd · incorporated 2004-04-08

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

hardening · 12-months

Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.

· Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

not disclosed

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

80/100

Exceptional

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Motion picture production activities

Sector: Information & communication

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (55/100)

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

No iXBRL financials extracted

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

1 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

56 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

80/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Last 90 days

filings

• 1 confirmation-statement
• 1 accounts

Last 180 days

filings

• 1 confirmation-statement
• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand

2026-03-31
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-02-09
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2018-12-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2017-12-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2017-01-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2016-06-10
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2016-01-08
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-05-26
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-01-09
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2014-05-20
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2004-04-08
🏢
Company incorporated
As APPIN FILMS LIMITED
2004-04-08
➕
NAYLOR, Rosalind appointed
secretary
2004-04-08
➕
NAYLOR, Rosalind appointed
director
2004-04-08
➕
STEWART, Alan John appointed
director
2004-04-08
➕
WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-04-08
➖
WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-04-08
➕
WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
2004-04-08
➖
WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100

Critical — business is the founder

The 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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. 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 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

clean

No 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 Alan John Stewart Individual · British · DOB 09/1960 · age 66	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	06/04/2016
Ms Rosalind Naylor Individual · British · DOB 02/1964 · age 62	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	06/04/2016

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 · Technology · AL postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
A Q PRODUCTIONS LTD→ 14272851 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
ANGEL OF THE NORTH LTD→ 12162466 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—
ANTIMO LIMITED→ 03992926 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	—	—
APACHE MULTIMEDIA LIMITED→ 03401485 · est 1997 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	28y	—	—
APPACHE LTD→ 16484491 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
APPORBIT TECH LTD→ 16799948 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
AQUILA EDITING ASSOCIATES LTD→ 16856117 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ARCHITECHLABZ LTD→ 16959108 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ARCTURUS PICTURES LIMITED→ 10866161 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
ARENA ADVISORY GROUP LIMITED→ 16919990 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ARGONAUT BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE LIMITED→ 09772734 · est 2015 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—
ARIES VR LIMITED→ 12028500 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—

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

Incorporated2004-04-08

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC59111 — Motion picture production activities

Registered office

1 Reynards Road

Welwyn

Herts

AL6 9TR

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-12-31

Last made up to: 2025-03-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-04-22

Last: 2026-04-08

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

NAYLOR, Rosalind→

secretary · appointed 2004-04-08

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

NAYLOR, Rosalind→

director · ~62y · appointed 2004-04-08

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

STEWART, Alan John→

director · ~66y · appointed 2004-04-08

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-04-08 · resigned 2004-04-08

Resigned

WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-04-08 · resigned 2004-04-08

Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.