CARDEN ENGINEERING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
08206457 · ltd · incorporated 2012-09-07
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Machining
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. 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 (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (55/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
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
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
26 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.
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
- 2025-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-30📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-05-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-20📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-09-25📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-09-07🏢Company incorporatedAs CARDEN ENGINEERING LIMITED
- 2012-09-07➕CARDEN, Richard 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 "CARDEN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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 Richard Carden Individual · British · DOB 08/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · LS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRALTEX LIMITED→ 01609700 · est 1982 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
| BRIGHT SCREW COMPANY LIMITED(THE)→ 00365862 · est 1941 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 85y | — | — |
| BROADGATE JOINERY LTD→ 16683368 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BROUNS & CO GLASS LTD→ 07768716 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BROWNHIRST JOINERY LIMITED→ 08530459 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BS IP & KNOWHOW LTD→ 07658080 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BUBBASCOOP UK LTD→ 16610735 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BULLWATER LIMITED→ 08239019 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| BURLEY INTERIORS MANUFACTURING LTD→ 15627254 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| C & I THREADING LTD→ 11835397 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CARE MAAC LTD→ 15598442 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CARR MILLS METAL WORKS LTD→ 16526260 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-09-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25620 — Machining
Registered office
101 Jack Lane
Leeds
LS11 5NH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-21
Last: 2025-09-07
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
CARDEN, Richard→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2012-09-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (26 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-04-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-03-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-06-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-03-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-10-15