W.HANDS AND SONS LIMITED
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 75). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 54.1y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 54.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (59/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📍change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2019-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-11-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-30📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-06-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-10📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-04-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2014-07-10📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-12-21➖HANSON, John resignedsecretary
- 2002-07-16➕HANSON, John appointedsecretary
- 2002-07-16➖HEAD, Peter Douglas resignedsecretary
- 2002-07-16➖HEAD, Douglas Henry resigneddirector
- 1972-04-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Frederick J Kewley
- 1934-08-01🏢Company incorporatedAs W.HANDS AND SONS LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 92 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
Howlands (Furniture) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Howlands (Furniture) Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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.
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8 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 (1 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Frederick J Kewley | Legal charge | 1 property | 11/04/1972 | — |