4FRONT SERVICES LTD
💤Zombieactive
06299012 · ltd · incorporated 2007-07-02
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 Aug 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
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 17.0y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 17.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
47 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 | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £-25.3k |
| Current assets | — | £11.1k |
| Cash | — | £10.9k |
| Debtors | — | £168 |
| Net assets | — | £-44.4k |
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 (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-14📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-09-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-17📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-09-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Berkshire Nominee 1 Limited and Berkshire Nominee 2 Limited
- 2009-05-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Philip Alastair Barton-Wright
- 2007-07-02🏢Company incorporatedAs 4FRONT SERVICES LTD
- 2007-07-02➕BUCKLEY, Sherie Lyn appointedsecretary
- 2007-07-02➕BUCKLEY, Sean Thomas appointeddirector
Owner dependency
90/100
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.
- +No director turnover: Company is 19 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
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 19 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 Sean Thomas Buckley Individual · British · DOB 02/1972 · age 54 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Sean Thomas Buckleyceased 14/07/2025· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Trade services · SS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11TH DIMENSION LTD→ 11374619 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 1961 CONSULTING LIMITED→ 14198937 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 1ADMIN1 LTD→ 09785555 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 1STCURVE LTD→ 12215117 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 2 RONALD HILL GROVE (FREEHOLD) LIMITED→ 07319813 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| 22 BARBERS LIMITED→ 15770619 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 24/7 SALES LTD→ 15619105 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 28 UNDERCLIFF GARDENS MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 05640511 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| 2K9 PET SERVICES LIMITED→ 13800928 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 43 EATON ROAD RTM COMPANY LIMITED→ 11532936 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 45 THE MALL COMMERCIAL LIMITED→ 15025976 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 4LW LTD→ 14982656 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2007-07-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
4 Capricorn Centre
Cranes Farm Road
Basildon
Essex
SS14 3JJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-16
Last: 2025-07-02
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
BUCKLEY, Sherie Lyn→
Activesecretary · appointed 2007-07-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BUCKLEY, Sean Thomas→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2007-07-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
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 | Berkshire Nominee 1 and Berkshire Nominee 2 Berkshire Nominee 1 Limited and Berkshire Nominee 2 Limited | A rent security deposit deed | 1 property | 13/09/2012 | — | |
| outstanding | Philip Alastair Barton-Wright | Debenture | 1 property | 13/05/2009 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (47 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-09-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-04-30