NORTHSTAR LIPIDS (UK) LTD

💤Zombieactive
05272633 · ltd · incorporated 2004-10-28
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 Mar 2026
Net worth
£1.60M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10410
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 21.2y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
59 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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,602,760
Cash YoY
+88%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£283k
↑ 88% YoY
Net Worth
£1.6m
~ YoY
Current Assets
£1.8m
↓ 6.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£385k£771k£1.2m£1.5m£1.9mMar 2025Mar 2026

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2026-03-312025-03-31
Total assets£1.79M£1.69M
Current assets£1.80M£1.93M
Cash£283.2k£150.3k
Debtors£315.1k£330.1k
Net assets£1.60M£1.59M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-07-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-08-05
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  4. 2024-08-05
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  5. 2024-08-05
    📄
    capital-name-of-class-of-shares
    capital · SH08
  6. 2024-07-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-06-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  8. 2024-06-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  9. 2023-10-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-09-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-11-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2021-03-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-08-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-07-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-09-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2011-05-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD ("the Security Holder")
  18. 2009-09-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  19. 2005-06-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD ("the Security Holder")
  20. 2005-05-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  21. 2004-10-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As NORTHSTAR LIPIDS (UK) LTD
  22. 2004-10-28
    ➕
    HOUGHTON, Karen Lesley appointed
    secretary
  23. 2004-10-28
    ➕
    HOUGHTON, Christopher John appointed
    director

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +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 62 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 22 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. 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

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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Christopher John Houghton
Individual · British · DOB 12/1964 · age 62
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016
Mrs Karen Houghton
Individual · British · DOB 03/1967 · age 59
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

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 · Food & drink · LN postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
BENSLEYS HOME MADE ICE CREAM LTD→
11811115 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————7y——
FUNGTION LTD→
14000022 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————4y——
IMP & MAKER LTD→
12893363 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
JUST BAKE IT LTD→
15999405 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
LONDON FASHION INDUSTRY LIMITED→
05188931 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————21y——
LUDA LINCS LIMITED→
13262690 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————5y——
NUDE CAKES LTD→
12232183 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
PARNELL & SONS LTD→
12139031 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
PET CUISINE LIMITED→
08767649 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————12y——
POCKLINGTON'S BAKERY LIMITED→
03710777 · est 1999 · no financials extracted
————27y——
PRETEX PLUS LTD→
16824512 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
R.W.STOKES & SONS,LIMITED→
00331254 · est 1937 · no financials extracted
————88y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated2004-10-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10410 — SIC 10410

Registered office

Unit 1a Stirlin Court Saxilby Enterprise Park
Skellingthorpe Road
Saxilby
LN1 2LR

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-11
Last: 2025-10-28

Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)

HOUGHTON, Karen Lesley→
secretary · appointed 2004-10-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOUGHTON, Christopher John→
director · ~62y · appointed 2004-10-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD ("the Security Holder")
Floating charge (all assets)1 property31/05/2011—
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Legal assignment1 property18/09/200905/06/2024
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD ("the Security Holder")
Fixed charge on purchased debts which fail to vest1 property13/06/2005—
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property06/05/2005—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (59 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-07-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-28
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-08-05
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-08-05
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2024-08-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-17
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-06-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-29