ELM BLUE LTD
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (12 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-21📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-08-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-09📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2022-07-05📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-04-08📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-04-01➕LITTLE, John William appointeddirector
- 2020-08-07🏢Company incorporatedAs ELM BLUE LTD
- 2020-08-07➕LITTLE, Alistair John William appointeddirector
- 2020-08-07📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 6 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alistair John William Little Individual · Scottish · DOB 10/1992 · age 34 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 07/08/2020 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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 · Trade services · ML postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PWR PACK LTD→ SC368382 · est 2009 | £14.22M £10.67M–£17.78M | £20.18M | — | 1000 | 16y | 83 | 65y |
| FUSION ASSETS LIMITED→ SC299690 · est 2006 | £2.93M £2.19M–£3.66M | £344.0k | — | 1300 | 20y | 83 | 76y |
| MONDO VERDE LTD→ SC741022 · est 2022 | £79.7k £59.8k–£99.6k | £30.9k | — | 200 | 3y | 83 | 48y |
| ADVANCE CONSTRUCTION GROUP LIMITED→ SC202571 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | 83 | 68y |
| AMCOL SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC162633 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | 83 | 77y |
| BARR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ SC154881 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | 83 | 65y |
| FUL-TON FORKLIFTS LIMITED→ SC079132 · est 1982 | — | — | £452.9k | — | 43y | 83 | 81y |
| GSB LANDSCAPES LTD.→ SC354223 · est 2009 | — | — | £228.0k | — | 17y | 83 | 61y |
| MITCHELL DRAINAGE AND WASTE SERVICES LIMITED→ SC184396 · est 1998 | — | — | £201.2k | — | 28y | 83 | 63y |
| NEWMAINS COMMUNITY TRUST LTD→ SC396456 · est 2011 | — | — | £1.89M | — | 15y | 83 | 83y |
| ORAAM INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ SC251461 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | 83 | 63y |
| PATHFINDER GUIDE DOG PROGRAMME→ SC263973 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | 83 | 79y |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.