ALEXANDER BURN LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
05574277 · ltd · incorporated 2005-09-26
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
£630.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Funeral and related activities
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 11.0y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
52 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £630,825
Cash YoY
+31%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£380k
↑ 31% YoY
Net Worth
£631k
↑ 21% YoY
Current Assets
£749k
↑ 31% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-28 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £724.6k | £650.0k |
| Current assets | £749.1k | £573.9k |
| Cash | £379.6k | £290.6k |
| Debtors | £363.3k | £279.3k |
| Net assets | £630.8k | £519.8k |
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
2
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-05📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-06-05📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-25📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2022-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-08📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-01-08🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2020-11-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-14📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2007-08-11➖TOMLINS, Philip David resigneddirector
- 2005-09-26🏢Company incorporatedAs ALEXANDER BURN LIMITED
- 2005-09-26➕BURN, Jennifer Catherine appointedsecretary
- 2005-09-26➕BURN, Alexander James appointeddirector
- 2005-09-26➕TOMLINS, Philip David appointeddirector
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 "BURN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 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 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alexander James Burn Individual · British · DOB 05/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 05/06/2026 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Alexander James Burnceased 05/06/2026· 75-100% shares
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 · Trade services · GL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEGIS SECURITY & PROTECTION SERVICES LTD→ 14791716 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AJ SECURE LTD→ 16986707 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AJK DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→ 06820001 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AKH AUTHENTIC LTD→ 10661729 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ALCHEMY HAIR LIMITED→ 10620305 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ALDERTON COMMUNITY TRUST→ 05773809 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ALEXANDER SQUARE PARTNERS LIMITED→ 11401896 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ALEXANDER SQUARE PARTNERS NOMINEES LIMITED→ 15964635 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALG GARDENING & LANDSCAPING LTD→ 13356250 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ALIA COLLECTIVE LTD→ 17037520 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALIVE BIA LTD→ 15518244 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALL ABOUT THE DOG ACADEMY LTD→ 13699211 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2005-09-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC96030 — Funeral and related activities
Registered office
436 High Street
Cheltenham
GL50 3JA
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-09
Last: 2025-09-25
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
BURN, Jennifer Catherine→
Activesecretary · appointed 2005-09-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BURN, Alexander James→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2005-09-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TOMLINS, Philip David→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2005-09-26 · resigned 2007-08-11
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 22/07/2015 | 08/01/2021 |
Recent filings (52 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-06-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-06-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-27
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AAMD
2022-07-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-02
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-01-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-03