DOC BLACK LTD

💤Zombieactive
06352377 · ltd · incorporated 2007-08-24
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£61.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 47789Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

5 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 17.7y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 17.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
8 connected companies via shared directors
69
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
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
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £61,539
Net assets shrinking
Down £4,675 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£753
Net Worth
£62k
↓ 7.1% YoY
Current Assets
£108k
↑ 82% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£22k£43k£65k£87k£108kJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-01-262024-01-31
Total assets£69.5k£21.7k
Current assets£108.2k£59.4k
Cash£753—
Debtors£106.5k—
Net assets£61.5k£66.2k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-10-26
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  4. 2024-01-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-10-27
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  6. 2023-06-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-01-29
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  8. 2022-10-29
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  9. 2022-03-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-10-22
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  11. 2021-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-08-28
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  13. 2019-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-02-12
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  15. 2018-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2012-11-09
    ➕
    CRAMPTON, Samantha appointed
    secretary
  18. 2012-11-08
    ➖
    JOHNSON, Brian resigned
    secretary
  19. 2012-04-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Csc (Eldon Square) Limited
  20. 2011-07-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  21. 2011-07-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  22. 2011-05-16
    ➕
    JOHNSON, Brian appointed
    secretary
  23. 2011-05-16
    ➖
    JOHNSON, Brian resigned
    director
  24. 2009-09-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  25. 2009-05-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Csc (Eldon Square) Limited
  26. 2009-04-27
    ➖
    MAXWELL, Neil resigned
    secretary
  27. 2009-01-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  28. 2008-10-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  29. 2008-03-01
    ➕
    JOHNSON, Brian appointed
    director
  30. 2007-08-25
    ➖
    MAXWELL, Richard resigned
    secretary
  31. 2007-08-25
    ➖
    MAXWELL, Neil resigned
    director
  32. 2007-08-24
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DOC BLACK LTD
  33. 2007-08-24
    ➕
    CRAMPTON, Philip James appointed
    director
  34. 2007-08-24
    ➕
    MAXWELL, Neil appointed
    secretary
  35. 2007-08-24
    ➕
    MAXWELL, Richard appointed
    secretary
  36. 2007-08-24
    ➕
    MAXWELL, Neil appointed
    director

Owner dependency

85/100
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.

Succession & seller-readiness

68/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Philip James Crampton
Individual · British · DOB 08/1972 · age 54
50–75%
50–75%50-75% shares · 50-75% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Brian Johnson Financial Services Ltdceased 12/01/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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 →

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DURHAM FUEL CENTRE LTD.→
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ETIKA CLOTHING LTD→
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03650315 · est 1998 · no financials extracted
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14877339 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
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GQ WHOLESALE LTD→
14405486 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
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GREENCROFT BOTTLING COMPANY LIMITED→
04768870 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
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GT CLEANING MACHINES LIMITED→
04194750 · est 2001 · no financials extracted
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GYMFLUENCE ACTIVEWEAR LIMITED→
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HBH MACHINERY LTD→
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated2007-08-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade

Registered office

Unit 3g Littleburn Business Centre
Mill Road Langley Moor
Durham
Co. Durham
DH7 8ET

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-26
Last made up to: 2025-01-26
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-07
Last: 2025-08-24

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

CRAMPTON, Samantha→
secretary · appointed 2012-11-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CRAMPTON, Philip James→
director · ~54y · appointed 2007-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JOHNSON, Brian→
secretary · appointed 2011-05-16 · resigned 2012-11-08
Resigned
MAXWELL, Neil→
secretary · appointed 2007-08-24 · resigned 2009-04-27
Resigned
MAXWELL, Richard→
secretary · appointed 2007-08-24 · resigned 2007-08-25
Resigned
JOHNSON, Brian→
director · ~70y · appointed 2008-03-01 · resigned 2011-05-16
Resigned
MAXWELL, Neil→
director · ~70y · appointed 2007-08-24 · resigned 2007-08-25
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

5
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Csc (Eldon Square)
Csc (Eldon Square) Limited
Rent deposit deed1 property10/04/2012—
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property29/09/2009—
outstanding
Csc (Eldon Square)
Csc (Eldon Square) Limited
Deed of deposit1 property05/05/2009—
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Deed of charge over credit balances1 property17/01/200929/07/2011
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Deed of charge over credit balances1 property27/10/200829/07/2011
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (72 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-01-26
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-01-27
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-14
change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-01-29
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2022-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-03-10
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2021-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-09