J DUFFY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
08571387 · ltd · incorporated 2013-06-17
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 38320
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. 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 (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 7.3y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 7.3 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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 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
44 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
£0£0£0£0£0£0Jun 2024Jun 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-06-302024-06-30
Average employees2400

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-12-10
    📄
    legacy
    miscellaneous · RPCH01
  3. 2025-04-22
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2025-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-11-14
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  6. 2024-11-13
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  7. 2024-11-12
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-07-22
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  11. 2022-07-22
    📄
    capital-return-purchase-own-shares
    capital · SH03
  12. 2022-07-20
    📄
    capital-cancellation-shares
    capital · SH06
  13. 2022-04-22
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AAMD
  14. 2022-03-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2022-01-05
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2022-01-05
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  17. 2021-05-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  18. 2020-02-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  19. 2020-02-06
    DUFFY, Maxine resigned
    director
  20. 2019-03-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  21. 2019-03-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  22. 2014-01-03
    DUFFY, Maxine appointed
    director
  23. 2013-06-17
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As J DUFFY LIMITED
  24. 2013-06-17
    DUFFY, John appointed
    director

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 "DUFFY" — strong identity link between founder and business.

Succession & seller-readiness

58/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Duffy
Individual · British · DOB 08/1969 · age 57
75100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control01/05/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Energy & utilities · LA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
FORSA ENERGY GAS ACQUISITIONS 3 LIMITED
11671372 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
7y
FORSA ENERGY GAS ACQUISITIONS 5 LIMITED
14052404 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
FORSA ENERGY GAS ACQUISITIONS HOLDCO 1 LIMITED
11190531 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
8y
FORSA ENERGY GAS ACQUISITIONS HOLDCO 5 LIMITED
14061584 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
FORSA ENERGY GAS INTERMEDIATE LIMITED
11669885 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
7y
GOSHAWK ENERGY LIMITED
09010609 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
11y
JKB JOINTING LIMITED
11709875 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
7y
JOHN MILLER AND SONS LIMITED
05370248 · est 2005 · no financials extracted
21y
KILLINGTON AND DISTRICT SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TRUST
06850836 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
17y
KUBON LIMITED
09107737 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
11y
KW DRAINS LIMITED
11922780 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
7y
LAKELAND ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED
08205612 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
13y
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
Incorporated2013-06-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC38320 — SIC 38320

Registered office

Suite 6 Furness Gate
Peter Green Way
Barrow In Furness
Cumbria
LA14 2PE
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-03
Last: 2025-11-19

Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)

DUFFY, John
director · ~57y · appointed 2013-06-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DUFFY, Maxine
director · ~59y · appointed 2014-01-03 · resigned 2020-02-06
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property29/03/2019
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
A registered charge26/03/2019
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (44 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-18
legacy
miscellaneous · RPCH01
2025-12-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-11-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-25
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2022-07-22
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2022-07-22