FINLEY LEISURE LTD
💤Zombieactive
09409351 · ltd · incorporated 2015-01-28
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£-62.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 74). 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 11.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.2 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
30 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £62,357
Cash YoY
+60%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£192k
↑ 60% YoY
Net Worth
-£62k
↑ 70% YoY
Current Assets
£238k
↑ 45% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-55.8k | £-193.2k |
| Current assets | £238.0k | £164.6k |
| Cash | £191.9k | £120.1k |
| Debtors | £37.0k | £35.3k |
| Net assets | £-62.4k | £-209.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
4 signals 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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-27📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2021-08-27📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-08-27📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-08-21➕FINLEY, John appointedsecretary
- 2021-08-20➖RAISTRICK, Julie resignedsecretary
- 2021-08-20➖VASEY, Kelly Jean resignedsecretary
- 2020-11-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-19📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2019-02-06➕VASEY, Kelly Jean appointedsecretary
- 2018-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-14➕RAISTRICK, Julie appointedsecretary
- 2015-05-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2015-01-28🏢Company incorporatedAs FINLEY LEISURE LTD
- 2015-01-28➕FINLEY, John 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 "FINLEY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
80/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Finley Individual · British · DOB 07/1952 · age 74 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · trust interest | 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 · Leisure & entertainment · DL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CROOK GOLF CLUB LIMITED→ 10655866 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DAB GOLF LTD→ 14495344 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| DOWNING DANCE ACADEMY LIMITED→ 12137727 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| DRAMA IN THE DALE CIC→ 09515625 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ENPOINTE DANCE COMPANY LTD→ 13310298 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ETTO PRODUCTIONS LTD→ 13529132 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EVENWOOD TOWN JUNIORS FC LTD→ 14719127 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| EXCURSIONS BY RAIL LIMITED→ 13364100 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EXORTUS LTD→ 12684811 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FIGHT&FITNESS LIMITED→ 14521594 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| FILTR SPORTS LTD→ 13177179 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FINOTECA LTD→ 10657887 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-01-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC93290 — Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Finley Whinbank Road
Aycliffe Business Park
Newton Aycliffe
DL5 6AY
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-12
Last: 2025-10-29
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Active
FINLEY, John→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2015-01-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RAISTRICK, Julie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2015-07-14 · resigned 2021-08-20
VASEY, Kelly Jean→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2019-02-06 · resigned 2021-08-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 01/05/2015 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (30 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-16
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2021-08-27
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-08-27
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-08