ALAN WOODCOCK LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00422437 · ltd · incorporated 1946-10-28
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 29.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Dispensing chemist in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 47749SIC 47749
  • 47750Retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 72-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 72). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 29.7y

50/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 29.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (72/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
81 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-31
Average employees9

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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
4
filings
  • • 2 change-of-name
  • • 1 resolution
  • • 1 incorporation
Last 180 days
4
filings
  • • 2 change-of-name
  • • 1 resolution
  • • 1 incorporation
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-05-22
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  2. 2026-05-22
    ✏️
    certificate-re-registration-unlimited-to-limited
    change-of-name · CERT1
  3. 2026-05-22
    📄
    re-registration-memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MAR
  4. 2026-05-22
    ✏️
    reregistration-private-unlimited-to-private-limited-company
    change-of-name · RR06
  5. 2025-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2025-12-16
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  7. 2025-12-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  8. 2025-12-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  9. 2025-12-16
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  10. 2017-09-19
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2016-01-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-04-22
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  13. 2015-04-22
    📄
    capital-name-of-class-of-shares
    capital · SH08
  14. 2015-01-05
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-01-03
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2013-07-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  17. 1996-11-05
    ➕
    WOODROFFE, Lesley Helen appointed
    secretary
  18. 1996-11-05
    ➕
    WOODROFFE, Lesley Helen appointed
    director
  19. 1996-11-05
    ➕
    WOODROFFE, Richard Gregory appointed
    director
  20. 1996-11-05
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Frederick Alan resigned
    secretary
  21. 1996-11-05
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Alan Charles resigned
    director
  22. 1996-11-05
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Frederick Alan resigned
    director
  23. 1996-11-05
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Graham Charles resigned
    director
  24. 1996-11-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Tsb Bank PLC
  25. 1996-11-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Tsb Bank PLC
  26. 1996-11-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Frederick Alan Woodcock,Graham Charles Woodcock and Alan Charles Woodcock
  27. 1996-04-19
    ➖
    CROSS, Paul resigned
    director
  28. 1993-04-13
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Rose Edith resigned
    director
  29. 1992-03-23
    ➕
    CROSS, Paul appointed
    director
  30. 1946-10-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ALAN WOODCOCK LIMITED

Owner dependency

91/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 72 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 30 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 80 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

1 med ·
Name changed 2 times
medium

Name changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.

Evidence: 2026-05-22: certificate-re-registration-unlimited-to-limited; 2026-05-22: reregistration-private-unlimited-to-private-limited-company

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Richard Gregory Woodroffe
Individual · British · DOB 02/1954 · age 72
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mrs Lesley Helen Woodroffe
Individual · British · DOB 06/1957 · age 69
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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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
Incorporated1946-10-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47730 — Dispensing chemist in specialised stores

Registered office

C/O James Todd & Co Furzehall Farm
110 Wickham Road
Fareham
Hampshire
PO16 7JH
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

WOODROFFE, Lesley Helen→
secretary · appointed 1996-11-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOODROFFE, Lesley Helen→
director · ~69y · appointed 1996-11-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOODROFFE, Richard Gregory→
director · ~72y · appointed 1996-11-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOODCOCK, Frederick Alan→
secretary · resigned 1996-11-05
Resigned
CROSS, Paul→
director · ~63y · appointed 1992-03-23 · resigned 1996-04-19
Resigned
WOODCOCK, Alan Charles→
director · ~122y · resigned 1996-11-05
Resigned
WOODCOCK, Frederick Alan→
director · ~83y · resigned 1996-11-05
Resigned
WOODCOCK, Graham Charles→
director · ~93y · resigned 1996-11-05
Resigned
WOODCOCK, Rose Edith→
director · ~117y · resigned 1993-04-13
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Tsb Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property05/11/1996—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Tsb Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property05/11/1996—
satisfied
Frederick Alan Woodcock,Graham Charles Woodcock and Alan Charles Woodcock
Legal charge1 property05/11/199630/07/2013
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (81 total)

resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2026-05-22
certificate-re-registration-unlimited-to-limited
change-of-name · CERT1
2026-05-22
re-registration-memorandum-articles
incorporation · MAR
2026-05-22
reregistration-private-unlimited-to-private-limited-company
change-of-name · RR06
2026-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-22
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-12-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-16
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-04