A-FAX LIMITED
Opportunity 71/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 9.0y
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsFinancials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £47.80M |
| Current assets | £53.98M |
| Net assets | £607.1k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 resolution
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-19📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-11-26📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-03📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-10-03📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-10-03📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-10-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-07📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-10-07📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-10-07📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-04-03📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2023-04-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-11📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-01-11📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-01-11📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2022-11-04📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-11-04📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2022-09-05📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-09-05📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-09-01🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2022-08-31🔒Charge registered #4Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2021-12-08🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2019-09-24🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2019-04-10🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2017-06-06🔒Charge registered #2Lender: David Gerald Smith
- 2017-06-06🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2017-03-06🏢Company incorporatedAs A-FAX LIMITED
- 2017-03-06➕SMITH, James Richard appointeddirector
- 2017-03-06➕SMITH, Luke Thomas 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.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 9 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Limited succession signal. Not a near-term off-market candidate.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
Red flags
1 med ·Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
A-Safe Group 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
3 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A-Safe Group Holdings Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 07/11/2022 |
Mr James Richard Smith Individual · British · DOB 02/1978 · age 48 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/03/2017 |
Mr Luke Thomas Smith Individual · British · DOB 01/1980 · age 46 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/03/2017 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Tsghl Group Holdings Limitedceased 07/11/2022· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
- Three Smith Group Holdings Limitedceased 03/11/2022· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
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 · HX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 FORTY ONE LTD→ 06871848 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 3D WORKTOP SOLUTIONS LTD→ 07525811 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| A T GRAPHICS (WY) LTD→ 10153367 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A-GUARD LTD→ 13081562 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A-SAFE GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 13955846 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A-SAFE HQ LTD→ 05407505 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| A.Z.O. LIMITED→ 02828288 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| ADORA BEDS LTD→ 11779950 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ADVANCE ENGINEERING (HX) LTD→ 04581228 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| AG JOINERY & BUILDING MAINTENANCE LTD→ 13961365 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AIRCONONE (HALIFAX) LTD→ 07944321 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ALFRED A DUNHILL LIMITED→ 16291727 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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 →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 · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 31/08/2022 | — | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/04/2019 | 01/09/2022 | |
| satisfied | David Gerald Smith | A registered charge | — | 06/06/2017 | 08/12/2021 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 06/06/2017 | 24/09/2019 |