ALAN COPE SERVICES LTD
🌳Matureactive
09486139 · ltd · incorporated 2015-03-12
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£58.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other engineering activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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, 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
25 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £58,215
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£58k
↑ 269% YoY
Current Assets
£61k
↑ 34% 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 | £60.1k | £58.2k |
| Current assets | £61.3k | £45.8k |
| Net assets | £58.2k | £15.8k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-06-29📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-04-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-16➕KINGSLEY, Kristina appointeddirector
- 2020-05-16📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-03-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ALAN COPE SERVICES LTD
- 2015-03-12➕COPE, David Alan appointeddirector
- 2015-03-12📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
86/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "COPE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 11 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
61/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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 David Alan Cope Individual · British · DOB 11/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/03/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Professional services · SA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A L JAMES ENGINEERING LTD→ 11559959 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AES PAYROLL SERVICES LTD→ 08833847 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| AFON HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 05041070 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| AGRIMACHINE RENTALS LTD→ 16809679 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AHALIA SEELAN CONSULTANCY LTD→ 16787610 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIZELAX LIMITED→ 15657875 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AJB PRECISION LIMITED→ 09132389 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AJD ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED→ 08970428 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| AJS CONSULTING SERVICES LIMITED→ 10245550 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AL NOON CONSULTING LIMITED→ 08130333 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ALAN HARTSHORN LTD→ 12523851 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ALAN JAMES A'I FEIBION CYF→ 07155518 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2015-03-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC71129 — Other engineering activities
Registered office
Awelfryn
Ffrostrasol
Llandysul
SA44 5JT
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-26
Last: 2026-03-12
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
COPE, David Alan→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2015-03-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KINGSLEY, Kristina→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2020-05-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (25 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-15
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2021-06-30
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2021-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-05