ASHCROFT ENGINEERS MERCHANTS LIMITED
🌿Early-stageactive
13549598 · ltd · incorporated 2021-08-05
Investment thesis
Growth-phase business — story-led; valuation sensitive to momentum.
Why interesting: Trading is scaling; acquirers paying for trajectory get disproportionate leverage.
Why risky: Price often leads fundamentals; dependency on founder often high.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 4.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46150
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 4.7y
75/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Charge age ~4.7 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
28 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
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
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 | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 700 | 900 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-31📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-03-25📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2025-03-25📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2024-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-02📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-12-02📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-10-29📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-10-29📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-21➕ASHCROFT, Matthew James appointeddirector
- 2024-10-20➖ASHCROFT, James Roger resigneddirector
- 2024-01-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-12-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-03📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-01-03📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-13📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-12-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-12-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-11-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-11-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)
- 2021-10-21✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2021-10-12➕ASHCROFT, Joanne Victoria appointeddirector
- 2021-08-05🏢Company incorporatedAs ASHCROFT ENGINEERS MERCHANTS LIMITED
- 2021-08-05➕ASHCROFT, James Roger appointeddirector
Owner dependency
89/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ASHCROFT" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
16/100
No succession signalNo meaningful acquirability indicators from public data.
SIGNALS
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — ASHCROFT, Matthew James (same surname) appointed 2024-10-21. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Matthew James Ashcroft Individual · British · DOB 03/1993 · age 33 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 09/10/2024 |
Mrs Joanne Victoria Ashcroft Individual · British · DOB 08/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 08/11/2021 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr James Roger Ashcroftceased 09/10/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · PR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A NEWTON PLANT LTD→ 11338421 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A T R INTERNATIONAL LTD→ 15839980 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A Y A BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LTD→ 15567571 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AL-REHMAN FABRICS UK LTD→ 15457951 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALPHA SUPPLIERS UK LIMITED→ 12096994 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ASHLEY HOUSE FURNITURE LTD→ 15355550 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASHTON PLANT CENTRE LTD→ 10530811 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ATKINSON BROOKES LIMITED→ 15704114 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ATLANTIC INDUSTRIALS LIMITED→ 03531421 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| ATSON LIMITED→ 01517929 · est 1980 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 45y | — | — |
| AU REFINERY UK LTD→ 16889290 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AURA DROP LTD→ 13944245 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2021-08-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46150 — SIC 46150
Registered office
James House Lancashire Business Park
Centurion Way
Leyland
Lancashire
PR26 6TZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-18
Last: 2025-08-04
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
ASHCROFT, Joanne Victoria→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2021-10-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ASHCROFT, Matthew James→
Activedirector · ~33y · appointed 2024-10-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ASHCROFT, James Roger→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 2021-08-05 · resigned 2024-10-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank) | A registered charge | — | 05/11/2021 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (28 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-11
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-03-31
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2025-03-25
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2025-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-31
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-12-02
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-12-02
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-10-29
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-12-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-22