ACE HOSE AND HYDRAULICS LTD
💤Zombieactive
07963797 · ltd · incorporated 2012-02-24
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£1.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 13.8y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 13.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (82/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
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
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
Filing history
39 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
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
77
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 £1,763
Net assets shrinking
Down £14,079 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£2k
↓ 89% YoY
Current Assets
£533k
↑ 7.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-30 | 2024-03-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £537.8k | £501.9k |
| Current assets | £533.3k | £497.6k |
| Net assets | £1.8k | £15.8k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-11-20📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-11-20🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2025-10-02📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-31📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-07-23🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Peak Cashflow Limited
- 2024-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-22📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-03📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2017-05-03🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2015-02-20🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC
- 2012-07-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
- 2012-02-24🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE HOSE AND HYDRAULICS LTD
- 2012-02-24➕MILLER, Christopher Barry appointeddirector
Owner dependency
80/100
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.
- +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
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Christopher Barry Miller Individual · British · DOB 09/1978 · age 48 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 24/02/2017 |
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 · Trade services · SG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.D. BLY AIRCRAFT LEASING LIMITED→ 04006731 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| ACADEMY NOW LTD→ 14677106 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACATILIA LTD→ 09118489 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ACE OF TREES LTD→ 12550539 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACER GUNDOG TRAINING LIMITED→ 10711036 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ACR EVENTS LTD→ 12482812 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACS GROUNDWORKS LTD→ 10525017 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ACS INVESTMENT (LONDON) LIMITED→ 16571009 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTIN TIME LTD→ 06879801 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AD HOC NATIONWIDE LTD→ 14049077 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AD PROPERTIES INDIA LIMITED→ 16029522 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADAM SCHACTER DESIGN LTD.→ 06711096 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-02-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Unit 1 Claggy Road Industrial Estate
Kimpton
Hitchin
SG4 8QB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-30
Last made up to: 2025-03-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-22
Last: 2026-02-08
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
MILLER, Christopher Barry→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2012-02-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Peak Cashflow Peak Cashflow Limited | A registered charge | — | 23/07/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Hitachi Capital (UK) Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 20/02/2015 | 20/11/2025 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited | All assets debenture | 1 property | 30/07/2012 | 03/05/2017 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (39 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-11-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-10-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-27
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-07-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-20
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-07