3F TRADING LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
14935596 · ltd · incorporated 2023-06-14
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.
Why now
Window steady · medium confidence
Thesis has shifted recently — watch for confirmation.
  • · Lifecycle stage: early → zombie
  • · Investment thesis: growth_story → zombie_hold
Opportunity decay
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
  • · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
  • · Currently "zombie"
What changed my view
Last 30 days

Picture worsened over the last 30 days — 1 negative signal vs 0 positive.

  • Lifecycle stage: earlyzombie
  • ·Investment thesis: growth_storyzombie_hold
Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£17.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 71). 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 (76/100)

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
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
7 filings
60
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £17,693
Cash YoY
+21%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£43k
↑ 21% YoY
Net Worth
£18k
↑ 7.7% YoY
Current Assets
£139k
↑ 7.1% YoY
Current Liabilities
£0£28k£56k£84k£111k£139kDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£19.0k£18.2k
Current assets£139.4k£130.1k
Cash£42.9k£35.6k
Debtors£93.7k£53.0k
Net assets£17.7k£16.4k

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (6 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-03-13
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  4. 2023-06-14
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As 3F TRADING LIMITED
  5. 2023-06-14
    FRANKLIN, David Michael appointed
    director
  6. 2023-06-14
    📄
    incorporation-company
    incorporation · NEWINC

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
David Michael Franklin
Individual · British · DOB 01/1955 · age 71
75100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control14/06/2023

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Trade services · LN postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
10X10 BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED
12602236 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
5y
AB & THEE LIMITED
13331052 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
5y
AGE UK LINCOLNSHIRE
03777156 · est 1999 · no financials extracted
26y
AIM ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS LTD
14696584 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
3y
AJET DRAIN SERVICES LIMITED
05318591 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
21y
AJET GB LIMITED
05904522 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
19y
AKMO LTD
13473452 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
ALEXANDER AKRILL LIMITED
05275756 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
21y
ALIKA SELFCARE LTD
14211254 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
ALIVE ENTERPRISES LIMITED
05903893 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
19y
ALLSPORTSUK LTD
14775041 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
3y
ALORA THERAPY LIMITED
14757262 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
3y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated2023-06-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

2 Riseholme Lane
Riseholme
Lincoln
Lincolnshire
LN2 2LD
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-09
Last: 2025-06-25

Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)

FRANKLIN, David Michael
director · ~71y · appointed 2023-06-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (7 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-13
change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
accounts · AA01
2025-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-21
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2023-06-14