A.F. DOBSON LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00319027 · ltd · incorporated 1936-10-01
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with a workable charge structure — clean refinance potential.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Dependent on title and valuation due diligence; standard property risks.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 13.6y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 68201Renting and operating of Housing Association real estate
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 80-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 13.6y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 13.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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, 2 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
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
111 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £188.4k |
| Current assets | — | £83.2k |
| Net assets | — | £179.7k |
| Average employees | 3 | — |
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 (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-09-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-09-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-09-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-09-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-09-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-03📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2018-03-27➖BRITTAIN, Emma Louise resignedsecretary
- 2012-11-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2012-11-29🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-06-11➖DOBSON, Betty resigneddirector
- 2003-01-01➕BRITTAIN, Emma Louise appointedsecretary
- 2002-12-31➖SHEPHERD, Millie resignedsecretary
- 2002-12-31➖SHEPHERD, Millie resigneddirector
- 1999-12-11➖DOBSON, Harry Merrick resigneddirector
- 1998-02-18➕MAYCOCK, Jonathan Philip appointeddirector
- 1991-02-17➖MAYCOCK, Carol Margaret resigneddirector
- 1991-02-17➖MAYCOCK, Philip resigneddirector
- 1936-10-01🏢Company incorporatedAs A.F. DOBSON LIMITED
Owner dependency
98/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DOBSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 90 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carol Dobson Individual · British · DOB 09/1946 · age 80 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Jonathan Philip Maycock Individual · British · DOB 12/1974 · age 52 | 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.
Similar companies
Active · Retail · S postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A FIVE STARZ LTD→ 16513057 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABBSI LTD→ 16244867 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABBYS CURRY HOUSE LTD→ 15199996 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABEEMART LIMITED→ 15637511 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABINEYA LTD→ 15442269 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABUBAKERSIDDIQU LTD→ 16659212 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACE TICKETS LTD→ 15826622 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACGP ENTERPRISES LTD→ 16178899 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACM TRADES INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ 15209295 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACSUPPLYSUK LTD→ 16176797 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACUTISPVT LIMITED→ 16752882 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AD & CO PVT LTD→ 16997002 · est 2026 · 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
Incorporated1936-10-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47540 — Retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores
Registered office
181-187 Main Road
Darnall
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S9 5HP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-14
Last: 2025-08-31
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
Active
MAYCOCK, Jonathan Philip→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 1998-02-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRITTAIN, Emma Louise→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-01-01 · resigned 2018-03-27
SHEPHERD, Millie→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2002-12-31
DOBSON, Betty→
Resigneddirector · ~106y · resigned 2003-06-11
DOBSON, Harry Merrick→
Resigneddirector · ~109y · resigned 1999-12-11
MAYCOCK, Carol Margaret→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · resigned 1991-02-17
MAYCOCK, Philip→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · resigned 1991-02-17
SHEPHERD, Millie→
Resigneddirector · ~94y · resigned 2002-12-31
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 deed of charge | 1 property | 29/11/2012 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 29/11/2012 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (111 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-14
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-09-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-09-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-09-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-07