A A LYONS LTD
💤Zombieactive
07984754 · ltd · incorporated 2012-03-09
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of other food, including fish, crustaceans and molluscs
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 70). 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
1 live charge · oldest 12.8y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 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
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
31 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
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
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 | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 17 | 1600 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-09📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-01-09🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-09📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2016-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-09📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-08-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2012-03-09🏢Company incorporatedAs A A LYONS LTD
- 2012-03-09➕LYONS, Anthony appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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 "LYONS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 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 70 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 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Anthony Lyons Individual · English · DOB 08/1956 · age 70 | 75–100% | 75–100% | sig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · significant influence · firm interest | 01/07/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · SS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 BUBBLES LTD→ 14756430 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 2 BUY A LIMITED→ 05699074 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| 2 TO 1 LIMITED→ 04052071 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| 24 HOURS SOFT DRINKS SUPPLY LTD→ 14498822 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 88 SPEEDMART LIMITED→ 15050133 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 888 CONSULT LTD→ 06668698 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| A & J RETAIL UK LTD→ 05480502 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| A.A.C. ELECTRIC LIMITED→ 01695662 · est 1983 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 43y | — | — |
| A2Z SAVERS LIMITED→ 16417393 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AATHY LTD→ 15041832 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AB BOWEN LIMITED→ 10365249 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ABBOTT FASTENERS LIMITED→ 01627240 · est 1982 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-03-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46380 — Wholesale of other food, including fish, crustaceans and molluscs
Registered office
Matrix House
12-16 Lionel Road
Canvey Island
Essex
SS8 9DE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-23
Last: 2026-03-09
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
LYONS, Anthony→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2012-03-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 01/08/2013 | 09/01/2025 |
Recent filings (31 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-11
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-23