BARRINGTON SMITH FINANCIAL LTD
💤Zombieactive
07689990 · ltd · incorporated 2011-07-01
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£7.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 75). 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 (79/100)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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
33 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £7,065
Net assets shrinking
Down £617 YoY
Cash YoY
-8%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£15k
↓ 8.2% YoY
Net Worth
£7k
↓ 8.0% YoY
Current Assets
£21k
↓ 6.0% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £7.1k | £7.7k |
| Current assets | £21.3k | £22.7k |
| Cash | £15.3k | £16.7k |
| Debtors | £6.0k | £6.0k |
| Net assets | £7.1k | £7.7k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-07-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-14📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2016-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-10📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-07-01🏢Company incorporatedAs BARRINGTON SMITH FINANCIAL LTD
- 2011-07-01➕JOHNSTON, Andrew Patrick Waldron appointeddirector
Owner dependency
95/100
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 15 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
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 70+: Senior director is approximately 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- 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 Andrew Patrick Waldron Johnston Individual · British · DOB 05/1951 · age 75 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Financial services · WS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2ND CITY FINANCE LTD→ 13055699 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 42 WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD→ 09873045 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| A S R FINANCIAL LIMITED→ 14663101 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A T FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD→ 12628112 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| APAG LIMITED→ 09512760 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ARMCHAIR ADVISER LTD→ 15852316 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARQ FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD→ 17087763 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASHWOOD LAW WEALTH MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 03540491 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| AT-US BUSINESS FINANCE LIMITED→ 08729419 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| AUTOMATION WORKSHOP LTD→ 15780022 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BARRINGTON SECURITY ELITE LTD→ 16294621 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BAXTERS (PROPERTIES) LIMITED→ 00280388 · est 1933 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 92y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-07-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66190 — Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Registered office
Wallace House
20 Birmingham Road
Walsall
West Midlands
WS1 2LT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-07
Last: 2025-06-23
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
JOHNSTON, Andrew Patrick Waldron→
Activedirector · ~75y · appointed 2011-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (33 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-07-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-11