A1 PLANT HIRE LIMITED
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -56% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (82/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £109.2k | £87.4k |
| Current assets | £431.6k | £371.3k |
| Cash | £12.1k | £27.7k |
| Debtors | £419.4k | £321.0k |
| Net assets | £103.5k | £87.4k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (16 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-15📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2018-07-23📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2017-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-23📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2012-10-09🏢Company incorporatedAs A1 PLANT HIRE LIMITED
- 2012-10-09➕PICKAVANCE, John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — 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
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Pickavance Individual · British · DOB 05/1958 · age 68 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 29/06/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.