AGE OF STEAM LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
13003634 · ltd · incorporated 2020-11-09
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (55/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 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
12 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (9 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-31📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-09🏢Company incorporatedAs AGE OF STEAM LIMITED
- 2020-11-09➕BENDLE, Stephen appointeddirector
- 2020-11-09📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
88/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 6 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
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 Stephen Bendle Individual · British · DOB 02/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 09/11/2020 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Retail · BA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST IMPRESSIONS (BATH) CIC→ 13508695 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 2DAYDOORMATS LTD→ 15240136 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 4TECHZ LTD→ 15613926 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 7 DAYS ORANGE SHOP LTD→ 16448227 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 DAYS TROWBRIDGE LTD→ 13998945 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A&C LOGS LIMITED→ 14886164 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABUNDIFLORA LIMITED→ 13382949 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AES BATTERIES UK LIMITED→ 14558922 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AETHER VAULT COLLECTABLES LTD→ 17039972 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AGITC LTD→ 17012686 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AIDI LTD→ 15839182 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AJT HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 12110350 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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.
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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
Incorporated2020-11-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47110 — Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating
Registered office
C/O Mutu Accountancy Ltd, Unit 1.07, Newark Works
2 Foundry Lane
Bath
Somerset
BA2 3GZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-08-31
Last made up to: 2025-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-22
Last: 2025-11-08
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
BENDLE, Stephen→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2020-11-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (12 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-07-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-06-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-17
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2020-11-09