ACTIVE SUBSTANCES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
09800828 · ltd · incorporated 2015-09-30
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 10.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Nov 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 10.4y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
4 officers (4 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
4 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
41 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 400 | 400 |
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 (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-12-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-12-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-04-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-11📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-07-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-14🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2015-12-15🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2015-09-30🏢Company incorporatedAs ACTIVE SUBSTANCES LIMITED
- 2015-09-30➕CARTER, Nicholas Jonathan appointeddirector
- 2015-09-30➕CARTER, Siobhan Eileen Nolan appointeddirector
- 2015-09-30➕COSTELLO, Dominica Margaret appointeddirector
- 2015-09-30➕MCGINTY, James Gerard appointeddirector
Owner dependency
63/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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
4 active beneficial owners · fragmented| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Gerard Mcginty Individual · British · DOB 06/1955 · age 71 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Nicholas Jonathan Carter Individual · British · DOB 11/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Dominica Margaret Costello Individual · British · DOB 10/1959 · age 67 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Siobhan Eileen Nolan Carter Individual · British · DOB 10/1964 · age 62 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 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 · Wholesale & distribution · ME postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A N PUMPS LIMITED→ 17057424 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A.M.S TRADERS (U.K) LTD→ 11625626 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACORN STORAGE EQUIPMENT LIMITED→ 02081324 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| ACTIONPOINT ONLINE LTD→ 12516460 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADUKE LIMITED→ 11236359 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AFRICA DAWN LTD→ 12563961 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AFRISALE DISTRIBUTORS LTD→ 16806188 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AFROSUPPLY HUB LTD→ 16632148 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AGRI PARTS AND ACCESSORIES LIMITED→ 09668524 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| AGRORIG LTD→ 16110491 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALBEST TRADING CO., LTD→ 15974310 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALDERGATE TRADE LTD→ 11565697 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-09-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade
Registered office
5 West Court
Enterprise Road
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6JD
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last: 2025-10-17
Officers (4 active · 0 resigned)
CARTER, Nicholas Jonathan→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2015-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARTER, Siobhan Eileen Nolan→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2015-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COSTELLO, Dominica Margaret→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2015-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCGINTY, James Gerard→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2015-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 14/01/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 15/12/2015 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (41 total)
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-10
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-04-16
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-04-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-21