1ST CLASS RETAIL LTD
💤Zombieactive
07561032 · ltd · incorporated 2011-03-11
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2026
Net worth
£133.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 56102Unlicenced restaurants and cafes
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 4.7y
35/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Charge age ~4.7 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
40 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £133,191
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£133k
↑ 12% YoY
Current Assets
£46k
↑ 19% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2026-03-31 | 2025-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £135.0k | £120.8k |
| Current assets | £46.1k | £38.7k |
| Net assets | £133.2k | £119.0k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-04-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-15📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-10-15📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-10-11🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)
- 2021-10-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)
- 2021-07-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2011-03-14➕GAMBETTA, Angela appointeddirector
- 2011-03-11🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST CLASS RETAIL LTD
- 2011-03-11➕ROUND, Jonathon Charles appointeddirector
- 2011-03-11➖ROUND, Jonathon Charles resigneddirector
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 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. 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 15 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Angela Gambetta Individual · British · DOB 11/1968 · age 58 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 01/01/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.C.I SOLUTIONS LTD→ 15779077 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AAABAKAROV'S LTD→ 14402615 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABBSI LTD→ 16244867 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABBYS CURRY HOUSE LTD→ 15199996 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABEEMART LIMITED→ 15637511 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABEERA AHAD LIMITED→ 16195363 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABERDEVINE LTD→ 14000046 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABID CONNECT LTD→ 16709866 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABINEYA LTD→ 15442269 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABJAR SPORTS LIMITED→ 16692617 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABRISH STORE LIMITED→ 16908195 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABROAD ESTORE LTD→ 17055315 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-03-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47190 — Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Registered office
Unit 6-8 Broadleys
Clay Cross
Chesterfield
S45 9JL
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-25
Last: 2026-03-11
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
GAMBETTA, Angela→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2011-03-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ROUND, Jonathon Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2011-03-11 · resigned 2011-03-11
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank) | A registered charge | 1 property | 11/10/2021 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank) | A registered charge | 1 property | 11/10/2021 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (40 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-14
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-10-15
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-10-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-07-13