ASTON & JAMES OFFICE SUPPLIES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
07923532 · ltd · incorporated 2012-01-25
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 14.3y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 14.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
47 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1600 | 1600 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
3 signals 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
3
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-04-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-04-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-04-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-04-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-19📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-07-19📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-07-19📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2023-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-14➕ASTON, Michelle Louise appointedsecretary
- 2012-07-16🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2012-02-29🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2012-01-25🏢Company incorporatedAs ASTON & JAMES OFFICE SUPPLIES LIMITED
- 2012-01-25➕ASTON, Darren 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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ASTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
Strong succession signalMultiple 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 14 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Darren Aston Individual · British · DOB 09/1979 · age 47 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Michelle Louise Aston Individual · British · DOB 12/1979 · age 47 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A W MOBBS & CO LIMITED→ 07037680 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ABINGDON WOOD YARD LTD→ 13530218 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADVANCED MEDICAL SYSTEMS LTD.→ 03476650 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| ALBARAKAH TRADE-LINK (UK) LIMITED→ 02559849 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| ALWAYS EVERYTHING LTD→ 15164272 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ANATOLIAN OLIVE OIL COMPANY LTD→ 11037467 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BALL COLEGRAVE LIMITED→ 01577898 · est 1981 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
| BANBURY COMMODITIES LIMITED→ 10483807 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BECKLEY PSYTECH LIMITED→ 11496099 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BENCH GRADE BRANDS GROUP LTD→ 17021259 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BESTWORTH LIMITED→ 04629662 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| BICESTER ORIGINALS LTD→ 12398489 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-01-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade
Registered office
Unit 1 Nimrod Business Park
De Havilland Way
Witney
Oxfordshire
OX29 0YG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-25
Last: 2026-04-11
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
ASTON, Michelle Louise→
Activesecretary · appointed 2016-07-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ASTON, Darren→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2012-01-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
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 | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 16/07/2012 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 29/02/2012 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (47 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-24
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-04-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-04-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-04-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-04-14
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-26
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-07-19
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-07-19