ASPEN MANUFACTURING LIMITED
- · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
- · Currently "declining"
- 31020SIC 31020
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 (85/100).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 9.3y
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 23/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (83/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-30 | 2023-12-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Profit before tax | £5.9k | £29.7k |
| Average employees | 0 | 0 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 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
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-11-19➖MALCOLM, David Luke resigneddirector
- 2025-11-19➖ORAM, Stephen George resigneddirector
- 2025-11-19➖SMITH, Allison resigneddirector
- 2025-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-12-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-12-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-12-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-08-24📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2020-06-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-21🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Metro Bank PLC
- 2017-03-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Sme Invoice Finance Limited
- 2016-03-14➕ARNOLD, Neil appointeddirector
- 2016-03-14➕MALCOLM, David Luke appointeddirector
- 2016-03-14➕SMITH, Allison appointeddirector
- 2015-12-23🏢Company incorporatedAs ASPEN MANUFACTURING LIMITED
- 2015-12-23➕SMITH, Richard Ian appointeddirector
- 2015-12-23➕ORAM, Stephen George appointeddirector
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- 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
1 med ·Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: MALCOLM, David Luke resigned 2025-11-19; ORAM, Stephen George resigned 2025-11-19; SMITH, Allison resigned 2025-11-19
Group structure
Gwen Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gwen Holdings Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 04/04/2017 |
Mr Richard Ian Smith Individual · British · DOB 03/1967 · age 59 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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 · Manufacturing · SN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTHING STONE UK LIMITED→ 05136360 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| APD CARPENTRY & PROPERTY SERVICES LTD→ 15502413 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARCHIPELAGO ONLINE LTD→ 15597528 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARCHITECTURAL OAK LIMITED→ 05285813 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| ASF CREATIVE LTD→ 16802568 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AST DIGITAL SOLUTIONS LTD→ 12333846 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ATHENA MINIATURES LIMITED→ 09506066 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ATLAS ROBOTICS UK LIMITED→ 16399146 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ATTIBEAR LIMITED→ 12830041 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AUTOGUIDE EQUIPMENT LTD→ 02413329 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| AUTOMATIC WELDING SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 05511888 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| AUTOMATION SALES LIMITED→ 04335756 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Metro Bank Metro Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 21/06/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | Sme Invoice Finance Sme Invoice Finance Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 21/03/2017 | — |