1ST STOP SECURITY PRODUCTS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04100265 · ltd · incorporated 2000-11-01
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
£73.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 28990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 11.3y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 3 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
80 filings on record
85
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
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £73,883
Net assets shrinking
Down £5,432 YoY
Cash YoY
+9%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£35k
↑ 9.0% YoY
Net Worth
£74k
↓ 6.8% YoY
Current Assets
£141k
↑ 11% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £98.8k | £114.2k |
| Current assets | £141.3k | £127.3k |
| Cash | £35.4k | £32.4k |
| Debtors | £86.6k | £86.6k |
| Net assets | £73.9k | £79.3k |
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 (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-24📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-08-08📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-07-30📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-07-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-07-10➖CROSS, Steven resigneddirector
- 2022-09-20📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-30📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2018-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-01-15🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2012-08-01➕MATTHEWS, Scott appointeddirector
- 2012-01-16➕GR TAYLOR ACCOUNTANTS LTD appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2012-01-16➖CROSS, Steven resignedsecretary
- 2012-01-16➕CROSS, Steven appointeddirector
- 2012-01-16➖MATTHEWS, Scott Vincent Paul resigneddirector
- 2005-07-11➖CROSS, Nicola Marie resignedsecretary
- 2005-07-11➕CROSS, Steven appointedsecretary
- 2000-11-09➕CROSS, Nicola Marie appointedsecretary
- 2000-11-09➕MATTHEWS, Scott Vincent Paul appointeddirector
- 2000-11-01🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST STOP SECURITY PRODUCTS LIMITED
- 2000-11-01➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-11-01➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-11-01➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2000-11-01➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Scott Matthews Individual · British · DOB 01/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 18/10/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Steven Crossceased 10/07/2023· significant influence
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · WA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03710226 LIMITED→ 03710226 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| 10 COUNT LIMITED→ 14018787 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 20POINT9 LTD→ 07339512 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| 21 AERO LIMITED→ 14352544 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 24 SECURE SYSTEMS LTD→ 15959303 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 250 RIO LIMITED→ 05861500 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| 2D HEAT PRODUCTIONS LIMITED→ 10279938 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 2M MANUFACTURING LIMITED→ 01075253 · est 1972 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 53y | — | — |
| 3 TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION LTD→ 12200666 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 360 PLANT LTD→ 06760428 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 360 VISION TECHNOLOGY LIMITED→ 04649992 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| 3B CONTROLS LTD→ 04653528 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2000-11-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC28990 — SIC 28990
Registered office
Unit 1 Hertford House Hertford Street
Parr Industrial Estate
St. Helens
Merseyside
WA9 1BF
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-28
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-22
Last: 2025-08-08
Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)
GR TAYLOR ACCOUNTANTS LTD→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 2012-01-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MATTHEWS, Scott→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2012-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CROSS, Nicola Marie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-11-09 · resigned 2005-07-11
CROSS, Steven→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-07-11 · resigned 2012-01-16
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-11-01 · resigned 2000-11-01
CROSS, Steven→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2012-01-16 · resigned 2023-07-10
MATTHEWS, Scott Vincent Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 2000-11-09 · resigned 2012-01-16
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-11-01 · resigned 2000-11-01
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 | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 15/01/2015 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (80 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-12
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-07-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-08-08
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-08-08
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-07-30
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-22
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-09-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-02