AIR COOLED ENGINEERING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
05890653 · ltd · incorporated 2006-07-28
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 17.8y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 17.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
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.
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 | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 800 | 800 |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-13📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-06-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2015-08-04📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-09-02➖SULLIVAN-WEBB, Christopher resigneddirector
- 2014-07-28➖SULLIVAN-WEBB, Christopher resignedsecretary
- 2013-09-17🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2008-08-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: David Pinkney & Rita Margaret Pinkney
- 2006-07-28🏢Company incorporatedAs AIR COOLED ENGINEERING LIMITED
- 2006-07-28➕SULLIVAN-WEBB, Dale appointeddirector
- 2006-07-28➕SULLIVAN-WEBB, Christopher appointedsecretary
- 2006-07-28➕SULLIVAN-WEBB, Christopher appointeddirector
Owner dependency
85/100
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 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Dale Sullivan-Webb Individual · British · DOB 09/1974 · age 52 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Kelly Sullivan-Webb Individual · British · DOB 07/1977 · age 49 | 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 · Automotive · OX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 213 PERFORMANCE LIMITED→ 10451911 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A. PEIRCE LIMITED→ 04178663 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| ABDIA TRADING LTD→ 11498929 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ABINGDON VEHICLE SERVICES LIMITED→ 04705713 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ABSOLUTE AUTO CARS LTD→ 11406926 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACCIDENT SOLUTION CENTRE LIMITED→ 06011353 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ADR SERVICE & REPAIRS LIMITED→ 05620471 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ADVANCED CAR WASH LTD→ 11314363 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AJM VEHICLE MOVEMENTS LTD→ 16641571 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AK AUTOS WITNEY LTD→ 14002519 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AK PERFORMANCE TUNING LIMITED→ 13354915 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AKI MOTORS LTD→ 09614895 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-07-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
2 Pony Road
Cowley
Oxford
OX4 2RD
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-11
Last: 2025-07-28
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
SULLIVAN-WEBB, Dale→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 2006-07-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SULLIVAN-WEBB, Christopher→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-07-28 · resigned 2014-07-28
SULLIVAN-WEBB, Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2006-07-28 · resigned 2014-09-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 17/09/2013 | — | |
| outstanding | David Pinkney & Rita Margaret Pinkney | Rent deposit deed | 1 property | 21/08/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (52 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-29
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-06-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-06-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-04-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-30