COLIN NOBLE (AMES TAPERS) LTD.
💤Zombieactive
SC228312 · ltd · incorporated 2002-02-20
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£35.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Floor and wall covering
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -64% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)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
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
63 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £35,231
Net assets shrinking
Down £14,120 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 64% YoY
Cash YoY
-64%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£17k
↓ 64% YoY
Net Worth
£35k
↓ 29% YoY
Current Assets
£28k
↓ 49% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £41.5k | £53.3k |
| Current assets | £27.6k | £54.2k |
| Cash | £17.0k | £47.6k |
| Debtors | £10.6k | £6.6k |
| Net assets | £35.2k | £49.4k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-02-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-26📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2019-06-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-25📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2002-02-20🏢Company incorporatedAs COLIN NOBLE (AMES TAPERS) LTD.
- 2002-02-20➕NOBLE, Shona Smith appointedsecretary
- 2002-02-20➕NOBLE, Colin Edward appointeddirector
- 2002-02-20➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-02-20➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-02-20➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-02-20➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "NOBLE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Colin Edward Noble Individual · British · DOB 05/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Shona Smith Noble Individual · British · DOB 01/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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Active · Construction · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUNNINGHAM PLASTERING LTD→ SC357878 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| CW ACCESS LTD→ SC851313 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D COWIE PLUMBING & HEATING LTD→ SC727927 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| DAVID COWE LIMITED→ SC285815 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| DAVIDSONS MARINE & INDUSTRIAL PAINTERS LTD.→ SC245245 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| DEESIDE PLUMBING AND HEATING LTD→ SC606663 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| DEVREV JOINERY LTD→ SC866486 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DIAMOND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS -78 QR LTD→ SC757552 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| DIVERSITY ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC545423 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DIVERZE ACCESS LTD→ SC877610 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DIXON GAS SERVICES LTD→ SC684142 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DIXON'S WINDOWS AND DOORS LTD→ SC707112 · est 2021 · 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
Incorporated2002-02-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC43330 — Floor and wall covering
Registered office
8 Burns Crescent
Fraserburgh
Aberdeenshire
AB43 7AG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-06
Last: 2026-02-20
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
NOBLE, Shona Smith→
Activesecretary · appointed 2002-02-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
NOBLE, Colin Edward→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2002-02-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-02-20 · resigned 2002-02-20
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-02-20 · resigned 2002-02-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (63 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-02-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-09-17
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2020-05-26