BABYCHAIN LTD
💤Zombieactive
05996855 · ltd · incorporated 2006-11-13
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 Nov 2024
Net worth
£-48.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of textiles
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 75/100 (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: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
70 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £48,509
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£49k
~ YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-48.3k | £-48.3k |
| Net assets | £-48.5k | £-48.3k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-07-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-10-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-10-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-10-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-08-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-21✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2018-11-27📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2018-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-31➖ORPHEUS CORPORATION LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-10-01➕ORPHEUS CORPORATION LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-02-23➖FRASER, Stuart resignedsecretary
- 2007-03-26➕JOHNSON-JONES, Emily Kathleen appointeddirector
- 2007-03-26➕FRASER, Stuart appointedsecretary
- 2007-03-26➖DUPORT SECRETARY LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-03-26➖DUPORT DIRECTOR LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2006-11-13🏢Company incorporatedAs BABYCHAIN LTD
- 2006-11-13➕DUPORT SECRETARY LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-11-13➕DUPORT DIRECTOR LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
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 19 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 19 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Emily Johnson-Jones Individual · British · DOB 03/1973 · age 53 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · PL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACH RICE UK LIMITED→ 10810001 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ACTIO PRO LTD→ 11597159 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AHOLI TRADING LTD→ 12620736 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ARRITAL UK LIMITED→ 05542988 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ARTHUR THOMAS TRADING LIMITED→ 11442296 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AUSTROFLAMM UK LIMITED→ 16733330 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AVVENTURA GLOBAL LTD→ 16679424 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BABYDAM LIMITED→ 11369133 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BARBICAN ROOMS LIMITED→ 03012636 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| BASE CHEMS LIMITED→ 16296781 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BEARD AND BONES COSMETICS LIMITED→ 14104285 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BEARWOOD ENGINEERING SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 02686492 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-11-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46410 — Wholesale of textiles
Registered office
James Bendrey Accountants Ltd
Boscawen Park, St Dennis
St Austell
Cornwall
PL26 8DT
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-27
Last: 2025-11-13
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
JOHNSON-JONES, Emily Kathleen→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2007-03-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FRASER, Stuart→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-03-26 · resigned 2009-02-23
DUPORT SECRETARY LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2006-11-13 · resigned 2007-03-26
ORPHEUS CORPORATION LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2009-10-01 · resigned 2016-10-31
DUPORT DIRECTOR LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2006-11-13 · resigned 2007-03-26
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (70 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-08-05
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-05-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-08-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-07-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-08-14