AJ FINLAY & SONS LTD.
Opportunity 57/100 (worth a look), bankability 45/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (38/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-06-30 | 2023-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 gazette
- • 1 gazette
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-26📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2025-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-02📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-06-01📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-11-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-05-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2011-06-02🏢Company incorporatedAs AJ FINLAY & SONS LTD.
- 2011-06-02➕FINLAY, Andrew John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "FINLAY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +No director turnover: Company is 15 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- 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.
Red flags
2 high ·Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-29
Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-06-11
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew John Finlay Individual · British · DOB 09/1970 · age 56 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · DN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR RESPONSE LIMITED→ 14011184 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADVANCED RAIL TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED→ 05142220 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AGRAFTRANS LTD→ 11574878 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AJA SITE SERVICES LTD→ 16411671 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AJA TRANSPORT SERVICES LTD→ 11744278 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AJS RECOVERY & REMOVALS LIMITED→ 16681858 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AKG TRANSPORT GROUP LTD→ 15627465 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALB DELIVERY LTD→ 15595101 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALC10 TRANSPORT LTD→ 16897858 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALD LOGISTIC LTD→ 14463617 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALE&MYA TRANSPORT LTD→ 13036478 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ALEANTO LTD→ 16021468 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
10 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.