ARD DESIGN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
06304985 · ltd · incorporated 2007-07-06
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 2025
Net worth
£131.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
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: Artistic creation
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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 (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
48 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £131,237
Net assets shrinking
Down £4,084 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£131k
↓ 3.0% YoY
Current Assets
£138k
↓ 2.8% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£28k£57k£85k£114k£142kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£133.7k£138.7k
Current assets£138.3k£142.3k
Cash—£137.5k
Debtors—£4.9k
Net assets£131.2k£135.3k

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 (22 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-12-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-12-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-07-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-09-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2015-10-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2015-08-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2014-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2014-07-15
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2013-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2007-07-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ARD DESIGN LIMITED
  17. 2007-07-06
    ➕
    BENNETT, Alison Mary appointed
    secretary
  18. 2007-07-06
    ➕
    ARD, Nigel Bruce Blair appointed
    director
  19. 2007-07-06
    ➕
    GRAEME, Paul Gordon appointed
    secretary
  20. 2007-07-06
    ➖
    GRAEME, Paul Gordon resigned
    secretary
  21. 2007-07-06
    ➕
    GRAEME, Lesley Joyce appointed
    director
  22. 2007-07-06
    ➖
    GRAEME, Lesley Joyce resigned
    director

Owner dependency

93/100
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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

78/100
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 61. Early succession window.
  • 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Nigel Bruce Blair Ard
Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Leisure & entertainment · SL postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
AIRPORT ASSISTS PRIVATE LIMITED→
16248680 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
AJL MANAGEMENT LTD→
16211546 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ALPHABET PICTURES LIMITED→
05580192 · est 2005 · no financials extracted
————20y——
ALREHAB SERVICES LTD→
16191266 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
ANCASTER BOOKS LTD→
08836763 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————12y——
ANNE JIRSCH LIMITED→
08918566 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
————12y——
AR-RAZAAQ UMRAH TOURS LTD→
16478100 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ARCHMAN MUSIC LTD→
15126189 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ARISE TALENT LIMITED→
16879079 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ART CLASSES GROUP LIMITED→
10092121 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————10y——
ASCOT AUTHORITY (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→
04274507 · est 2001 · no financials extracted
————24y——
ASCOT GOLF LIMITED→
07418484 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————15y——
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
Incorporated2007-07-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC90030 — Artistic creation

Registered office

Windy Ridge
49 New Road
Bourne End
Bucks
SL8 5BS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-20
Last: 2025-07-06

Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)

BENNETT, Alison Mary→
secretary · appointed 2007-07-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ARD, Nigel Bruce Blair→
director · ~61y · appointed 2007-07-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GRAEME, Paul Gordon→
secretary · appointed 2007-07-06 · resigned 2007-07-06
Resigned
GRAEME, Lesley Joyce→
director · ~73y · appointed 2007-07-06 · resigned 2007-07-06
Resigned

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

Recent filings (48 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-28