DARLINGTONS UK LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
06445955 · ltd · incorporated 2007-12-05
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
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: SIC 01420
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 43110Demolition
  • 77390Renting and leasing of other machinery, equipment and tangible goods n.e.c.
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

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: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (69/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
60 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.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-12-30
Average employees2

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 (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-18
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
    accounts · AA01
  2. 2025-10-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-10-06
    ➖
    DARLINGTON, Hannah resigned
    director
  4. 2025-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-09-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-06-19
    📄
    second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
  8. 2023-05-04
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2023-05-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2023-05-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2023-05-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  12. 2023-05-03
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2022-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2021-12-14
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2021-07-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2020-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2019-12-18
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  18. 2019-12-18
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  19. 2019-12-18
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  20. 2019-09-12
    ➕
    DARLINGTON, Hannah appointed
    director
  21. 2012-06-30
    ➖
    WEST, Tina Michelle resigned
    secretary
  22. 2009-11-02
    ➖
    WEST, Tina Michelle resigned
    director
  23. 2009-04-01
    ➕
    WEST, Tina Michelle appointed
    director
  24. 2007-12-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DARLINGTONS UK LIMITED
  25. 2007-12-05
    ➕
    DARLINGTON, Jonathan Richard appointed
    director
  26. 2007-12-05
    ➕
    WEST, Tina Michelle appointed
    secretary

Owner dependency

100/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DARLINGTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +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

clean
No 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Hannah Darlington
Individual · British · DOB 02/1989 · age 37
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting12/09/2019
Mr Jonathan Darlington
Individual · British · DOB 08/1985 · age 41
25–50%
25–50%board controlsig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest30/06/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Hannah Darlingtonceased 12/09/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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

Similar companies

Active · Agriculture · ST postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
D&V FARMS LTD→
12641922 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
DOG DAYZZ LTD→
16094136 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
DOWNES EQUINE LTD→
13188143 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————5y——
DW GENETICS LTD→
16878825 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
E. TURNOCK LIMITED→
00601341 · est 1958 · no financials extracted
————68y——
EARLSDALE LTD→
10537511 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
EARTH SYSTEMS CONSERVATION LTD→
15631835 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ECCLESHALL ANIMAL HEALTH & FOOD CENTRE LIMITED→
03091521 · est 1995 · no financials extracted
————30y——
EGG WELL FARMING LIMITED→
13448015 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
EJ & WM WEBSTER LTD→
04491519 · est 2002 · no financials extracted
————23y——
ELEACIER SPORTING SOLUTIONS LTD→
14701445 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————3y——
ELECTRICAL MECHANICAL CONTROL SYSTEMS LIMITED→
04871836 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
————22y——
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
Incorporated2007-12-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01420 — SIC 01420

Registered office

Lower Bank Farm Spring Bank
Scholar Green
Stoke-On-Trent
Staffordshire
ST7 3LB
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2024-12-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-19
Last: 2025-12-05

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

DARLINGTON, Jonathan Richard→
director · ~41y · appointed 2007-12-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WEST, Tina Michelle→
secretary · appointed 2007-12-05 · resigned 2012-06-30
Resigned
DARLINGTON, Hannah→
director · ~37y · appointed 2019-09-12 · resigned 2025-10-06
Resigned
WEST, Tina Michelle→
director · ~52y · appointed 2009-04-01 · resigned 2009-11-02
Resigned

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

Recent filings (60 total)

change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2026-03-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-06
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
2023-06-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-05-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-05-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-03
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-05-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-16