A BURSTOW PLANT HIRE LTD
💤Zombieactive
09365250 · ltd · incorporated 2014-12-23
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£223.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (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 (58/100).
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, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
43 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £223,878
Net assets shrinking
Down £114,510 YoY
Cash YoY
+57%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£47k
↑ 57% YoY
Net Worth
£224k
↓ 34% YoY
Current Assets
£136k
↓ 39% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £393.3k | £476.1k |
| Current assets | £135.5k | £220.6k |
| Cash | £47.5k | £30.3k |
| Debtors | £88.0k | £190.3k |
| Net assets | £223.9k | £338.4k |
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
4
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-08📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2026-01-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-08-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-26📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-08-26📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-08-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-23📄second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
- 2024-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-18📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-09-14📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2023-09-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-17📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2022-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-23➕BURSTOW, Cara appointedsecretary
- 2014-12-23🏢Company incorporatedAs A BURSTOW PLANT HIRE LTD
- 2014-12-23➕BURSTOW, Ashley Ian 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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BURSTOW" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cara Burstow Individual · British · DOB 10/1989 · age 37 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 05/04/2023 |
Mr Ashley Ian Burstow Individual · British · DOB 11/1985 · age 41 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · TR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASHWICK CONSULTING LIMITED→ 15506315 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BAR BABES LTD→ 10874078 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BCM ASSETS LTD→ 12878828 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BEACH COMBER LEGALS LIMITED→ 03743800 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| BEACON LEGAL LIMITED→ 07584806 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| BEE MARINE LIMITED→ 12218914 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BEN WHITE ARCHITECTURE LIMITED→ 10242144 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BIGLIN LOWE ACCOUNTANTS LTD→ 12502030 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BIM21 LTD→ 14541588 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BIRCHTIME LIMITED→ 04646524 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| BIZWIZE LTD→ 16787000 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BLACK LETTER LAW LTD→ 13541083 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2014-12-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC77320 — Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Registered office
Suite 8 Weeth Lane
Camborne
Cornwall
TR14 7DB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-15
Last: 2025-12-01
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
BURSTOW, Ashley Ian→
Activedirector · ~41y · appointed 2014-12-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (43 total)
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-08
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-01-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-26
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-08-26
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-08-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-16
second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
2024-12-23