A BUILDERS MERCHANT LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
06539713 · ltd · incorporated 2008-03-19
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). 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 (73/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
47 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.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2024-10-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-21📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2024-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-01-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-29➖CARMICHAEL, Kenneth John resignedsecretary
- 2016-06-29📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2016-04-06📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-03-31➖LEWIS, Philip resigneddirector
- 2008-03-19🏢Company incorporatedAs A BUILDERS MERCHANT LIMITED
- 2008-03-19➕CARMICHAEL, Kenneth John appointeddirector
- 2008-03-19➕CARMICHAEL, Kenneth John appointedsecretary
- 2008-03-19➕LEWIS, Philip appointeddirector
Owner dependency
93/100
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 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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 Kenneth John Carmichael Individual · British · DOB 08/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 19/03/2017 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Other · L postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 YEARS LTD→ 15651053 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 2CBV LIMITED→ 12314521 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 3 DERING STREET S.À R.L.→ OE013773 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 55 MARK LANE S.À R.L.→ OE028092 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 7 MOORGATE S.À R.L.→ OE027847 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 99 BISHOPSGATE REAL ESTATE S.A.R.L.→ OE021909 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A-A EURO INVESTMENT CHAMBER BIRMINGHAM PROPCO S.À R.L→ OE031060 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A-A EURO INVESTMENT JEWEL CARDIFF PROPCO S.À R.L.→ OE021600 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A-A EURO INVESTMENT JEWEL NORWICH PROPCO C S.À R.L.→ OE021642 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A-A EURO INVESTMENT JEWEL PORTSMOUTH PROPCO B S.À R.L.→ OE021727 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A-A JEWEL CARDIFF OPCO S.À R.L. / B.V.→ OE029874 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A-A JEWEL NORWICH OPCO S.À R.L. / B.V.→ OE029875 · 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
Incorporated2008-03-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999
Registered office
4 Mapledale Road
Liverpool
L18 5JE
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-02
Last: 2026-03-19
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
CARMICHAEL, Kenneth John→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2008-03-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARMICHAEL, Kenneth John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2008-03-19 · resigned 2016-06-29
LEWIS, Philip→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2008-03-19 · resigned 2010-03-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (47 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-10-21
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2024-10-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-28
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-08