3E ASSOCIATES LTD
🌳Matureactive
08007938 · ltd · incorporated 2012-03-27
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£69.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 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
30 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 £69,234
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£69k
↑ 36% YoY
Current Assets
£117k
↓ 27% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £110.6k | £130.1k |
| Current assets | £116.9k | £159.9k |
| Net assets | £69.2k | £50.8k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-07📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AAMD
- 2015-10-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2012-03-27🏢Company incorporatedAs 3E ASSOCIATES LTD
- 2012-03-27➕EDWARDS, John appointeddirector
- 2012-03-27➕EDWARDS, Sarah Ann appointeddirector
Owner dependency
86/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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 John Thomson Edwards Individual · British · DOB 12/1965 · age 61 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 27/03/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Professional services · SW postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 KINGSTON ROAD LIMITED→ 14395981 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 128 KENNINGTON PARK ROAD FREEHOLD LIMITED→ 13583735 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 180 DEGREES CONSULTING EXETER CIC→ 12885852 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 2MBS SERVICES LTD→ 11856558 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 2NSTUDIO LTD→ 14700033 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 3C CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD→ 14532425 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 3E CAPITAL LIMITED→ 07422041 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| 3PAY COLLECTIONS LTD→ 13887072 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 3THOS LTD→ 14485433 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 3V3 LABS LTD→ 16395669 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 3X7X37 LIMITED→ 11734581 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 4 POLWORTH ROAD LIMITED→ 03653457 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-03-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Registered office
12 Juniper Drive
London
SW18 1TX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-10
Last: 2026-03-27
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
EDWARDS, John→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2012-03-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
EDWARDS, Sarah Ann→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2012-03-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (30 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-10-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-03-27