ABLE QUALITY SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
08381930 · ltd · incorporated 2013-01-30
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: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). 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
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
36 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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-08-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-29📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-06-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-control-without-name-datepersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-06-24📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-control-without-name-datepersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-06-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-16📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-11-16📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2017-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2013-01-30🏢Company incorporatedAs ABLE QUALITY SERVICES LIMITED
- 2013-01-30➕SMITH, Stephen appointeddirector
Owner dependency
95/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 13 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 66. 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 13 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Stephen Smith Individual · British · DOB 11/1948 · age 78 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 09/11/2017 |
Jo-Ann Ruth Wade-Smith Individual · British · DOB 06/1966 · age 60 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 09/11/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A CLASS MAINTENANCE LTD→ 13213549 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A CROFTS LIMITED→ 09470101 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ABIGAIL ALEXANDRIA ACADEMY LIMITED→ 14805541 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABIGAIL ALEXANDRIA LIMITED→ 09956506 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ABIGAIL ALEXANDRIA THE SALON LIMITED→ 15946104 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABLAH CONSULTING LIMITED→ 11451329 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ABOUT CHANGE COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED→ 05434957 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ABSOLUTE CLEAN AT HOME LTD→ 11310991 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ABSOLUTE CONTRACT CONTROL LIMITED→ 13716427 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABSTRACT INCENTIVES LIMITED→ 06560250 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| AC EQUINE LTD→ 11236201 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AC FENNEY LTD→ 15121436 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2013-01-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
320 Firecrest Court Centre Park
Warrington
WA1 1RG
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-13
Last: 2026-01-30
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
SMITH, Stephen→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2013-01-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (36 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-31
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-12-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-03
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2020-06-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control-without-name-date
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-06-29