AFRICAN COMPASS TRADING LTD
💤Zombieactive
13533116 · ltd · incorporated 2021-07-27
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
—
year to Jul 2025
Net worth
£93.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
71/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 11070
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 71/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -43% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
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, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
24 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
71/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £93,539
Cash draining
Cash down 43% YoY
Cash YoY
-43%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£1k
↓ 43% YoY
Net Worth
£94k
↑ 2127% YoY
Current Assets
£134k
↓ 1.1% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £93.5k | £-4.6k |
| Current assets | £134.0k | £135.5k |
| Cash | £1.3k | £2.2k |
| Debtors | £132.7k | £133.3k |
| Net assets | £93.5k | £-4.6k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-04-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-04-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-04-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-04-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-04-30📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-11📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2022-03-01📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-11-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-11-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-11-24📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-11-24📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-11-23📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-11-06📄capital-alter-shares-subdivisioncapital · SH02
- 2021-07-27🏢Company incorporatedAs AFRICAN COMPASS TRADING LTD
- 2021-07-27➕HORNBY, Timothy appointedsecretary
- 2021-07-27➕HORNBY, Timothy Albert appointeddirector
- 2021-07-27📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
45/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- 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
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Timothy Albert Hornby Individual · British · DOB 04/1975 · age 51 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2024 |
Mr Gordon Sangster Von Mitzinger Individual · British · DOB 05/1976 · age 50 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2024 |
Mr Calvin Gerard Casse Individual · South African · DOB 08/1984 · age 42 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2024 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Dimitrios Tsourekisceased 01/10/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Timothy Hornbyceased 01/11/2021· 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.
🔒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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. CURTIS LIMITED→ 00683342 · est 1961 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 65y | — | — |
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| BLACKY'S KITCHEN LTD→ 15431888 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BOKKIES MEAT CO. LTD→ 17103011 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BREWOW LTD→ 15589392 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| COWDRYS (WIMBORNE ) LIMITED→ 00915179 · est 1967 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 58y | — | — |
| CRUMBS AND BAKES LTD→ 17089127 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DOC CHOC LTD→ 16055964 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DORSET MADE LIMITED→ 11615492 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| DORSET SHINE LTD→ 13643348 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2021-07-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC11070 — SIC 11070
Registered office
Unit 3 Fleetsbridge Business Centre
Upton Road
Poole
BH17 7AF
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-15
Last: 2026-03-01
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
HORNBY, Timothy Albert→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2021-07-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (24 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-04-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-04-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-04-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-04-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-04-30
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-04-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-31
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2022-03-11