A.E.WARD & SON LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00607011 · ltd · incorporated 1958-06-26
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
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Turnover
—
year to Jun 2025
Net worth
£3.40M
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of household goods (other than musical instruments) n.e.c.
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Special-situation opportunity
Distressed wholesale with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 35.7y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 35.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (6 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
113 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £3,400,581
Cash YoY
+18%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£399k
↑ 18% YoY
Net Worth
£3.4m
↑ 6.0% YoY
Current Assets
£4.2m
↑ 5.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£838k£1.7m£2.5m£3.4m£4.2mJun 2024Jun 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-06-302024-06-30
Total assets£3.48M£3.34M
Current assets£4.19M£3.97M
Cash£398.6k£339.0k
Debtors£2.45M£2.52M
Net assets£3.40M£3.21M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-05-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-05-09
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  6. 2023-05-09
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  7. 2022-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-03-26
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  11. 2019-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-03-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-01-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2017-01-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2016-04-13
    📄
    mortgage-alter-charge-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR07
  17. 2016-03-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2015-03-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: E.A. Thomson (Gems) Limited
  19. 2014-07-01
    ➕
    WARD, John Charles Edward appointed
    secretary
  20. 2014-07-01
    ➖
    WARD, Judith Marea resigned
    secretary
  21. 2009-03-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2004-04-01
    ➕
    WARD, Hannah Katherine appointed
    director
  23. 2004-04-01
    ➕
    WARD, John Charles Edward appointed
    director
  24. 1999-12-01
    ➕
    WARD, Thomas Richard appointed
    director
  25. 1999-01-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  26. 1998-04-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  27. 1990-11-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  28. 1958-06-26
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A.E.WARD & SON LIMITED

Owner dependency

88/100
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
  • -5 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "WARD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 81 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
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 81 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 68 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 high ·
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-01-26

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Michael Ian Ward
Individual · British · DOB 03/1948 · age 78
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting30/06/2016

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

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 →
🔒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
Incorporated1958-06-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46499 — Wholesale of household goods (other than musical instruments) n.e.c.

Registered office

167 Turners Hill
Cheshunt
Herts
EN8 9BH

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-29
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-01-26OVERDUE
Last: 2025-01-12

Officers (6 active · 1 resigned)

WARD, John Charles Edward→
secretary · appointed 2014-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WARD, Hannah Katherine→
director · ~49y · appointed 2004-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WARD, John Charles Edward→
director · ~47y · appointed 2004-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WARD, Judith Marea→
director · ~81y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WARD, Michael Ian→
director · ~78y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WARD, Thomas Richard→
director · ~48y · appointed 1999-12-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WARD, Judith Marea→
secretary · resigned 2014-07-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
E.A. Thomson (Gems)
E.A. Thomson (Gems) Limited
A registered charge2 properties04/03/201509/05/2023
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Legal charge2 properties27/03/2009—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Debenture1 property07/04/1998—
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property28/11/199014/01/1999
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (113 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-03-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-05-19
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-05-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-06-25
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2020-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-30