4S COMMERCIAL LTD
💤Zombieactive
07625516 · ltd · incorporated 2011-05-06
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 May 2025
Net worth
£37.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 49390
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (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 (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 12.6y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
41 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 £37,939
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£38k
↑ 9.5% YoY
Current Assets
£8k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £28.9k | £45.5k |
| Current assets | £7.5k | £7.5k |
| Net assets | £37.9k | £34.7k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-04-25📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-04-14➖JACOB, Robby Varughese resigneddirector
- 2022-04-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-23📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-10-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-05-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2014-06-10🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2013-09-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2012-11-01➕JACOB, Robby Varughese appointeddirector
- 2011-05-06🏢Company incorporatedAs 4S COMMERCIAL LTD
- 2011-05-06➕THOTTATHIL THOMAS, James appointeddirector
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Thottathil Thomas Individual · British · DOB 05/1966 · age 60 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 06/05/2017 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Robby Varughese Jacobceased 14/04/2022· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · L postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 007 EXECUTIVE TRAVEL LTD→ 15333011 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 1ST TORO LTD→ 11463997 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 2 TONY’S LIMITED→ 16721058 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22/7 SERVICES LTD→ 14814939 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 365SELLINGS LTD→ 16223023 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 3D TRANS LIMITED→ 09331135 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| 3TL (KIRKBY) LIMITED→ 11970393 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 3TL LIMITED→ 06731863 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 410 CHAUFFEURS LIMITED→ 16789480 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A 2 Z TAXI CAR LTD→ 09019931 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| A BOARDMAN LIMITED→ 12032516 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| A.DEC NORTHWEST LTD→ 16892887 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-05-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49390 — SIC 49390
Registered office
120 Barlows Lane
Liverpool
L9 9HY
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-16
Last: 2026-01-02
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
THOTTATHIL THOMAS, James→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2011-05-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JACOB, Robby Varughese→
Resigneddirector · ~51y · appointed 2012-11-01 · resigned 2022-04-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/06/2014 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 16/09/2013 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (41 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-04-25
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-04-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-05-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-23