AUSTIN WHITE & COMPANY LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00817758 · ltd · incorporated 1964-08-31
Investment thesis
Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.
Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.
Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.
🔒Estimated value
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Turnover
not disclosed
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
49/100
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 4533
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 49/100 (watch), bankability 12/100. 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: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: asset disposal / carve-out (70/100). Current lenders should be on immediate intervention.

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 53.4y

40/100
too messy

Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 53.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 55/100 (high).

Data confidence

Overall: low (48/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
33 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
49/100Watch
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Not actionable now, but monitor — distressed, succession, or structural changes could flip this into a real opportunity.

Business quality
25
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
23
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2015-10-15
    📄
    restoration-order-of-court
    restoration · AC92
  2. 2000-12-13
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  3. 2000-12-12
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  4. 2000-12-12
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  5. 2000-12-12
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · 405(2)
  6. 1998-07-24
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  7. 1997-09-22
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  8. 1996-07-26
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  9. 1995-08-03
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  10. 1994-11-11
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-statement-of-affairs
    insolvency · 3.3
  11. 1994-10-27
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-administrative-receivers-report
    insolvency · 3.10
  12. 1994-07-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 1994-07-05
    📍
    legacy
    address · 287
  14. 1994-06-24
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · 405(1)
  15. 1994-06-18
    📄
    legacy
    mortgage · 395
  16. 1994-06-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Austin White
  17. 1994-05-19
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288
  18. 1994-05-10
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288
  19. 1994-05-01
    REID, Janet Ann appointed
    secretary
  20. 1994-05-01
    WHITE, Jean resigned
    secretary
  21. 1994-05-01
    WHITE, Jean resigned
    director
  22. 1993-07-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  23. 1993-07-07
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363(288)
  24. 1993-02-01
    LIVERSAGE, William George appointed
    director
  25. 1992-06-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  26. 1992-01-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  27. 1991-03-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  28. 1991-03-11
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363
  29. 1990-02-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  30. 1990-02-07
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363
  31. 1977-08-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  32. 1973-01-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  33. 1964-08-31
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AUSTIN WHITE & COMPANY LIMITED

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "WHITE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 93 — 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 93 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 33 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 62 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

3 high · 1 med ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 1996-11-30

Confirmation statement overdue
high

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

Evidence: Next due: 2017-06-09

11 insolvency-related filings on record
high

Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.

Evidence: 2000-12-13: liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments; 2000-12-12: liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments

Has insolvency history
medium

Companies House flags prior insolvency events. Review the insolvency filings for context.

🔒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

13 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
Incorporated1964-08-31
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC4533 — SIC 4533

Registered office

1 Winckley Square
Chapel Street
Preston
PR1 8BU

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 1996-11-30OVERDUE
Last made up to:
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2017-06-09OVERDUE
Last:

Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)

REID, Janet Ann
secretary · appointed 1994-05-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LIVERSAGE, William George
director · ~80y · appointed 1993-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WHITE, Austin
director · ~93y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WHITE, Michael Austin
director · ~70y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WHITE, Jean
secretary · resigned 1994-05-01
Resigned
WHITE, Jean
director · ~93y · resigned 1994-05-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Austin White / Jean White
Legal charge1 property13/06/1994
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property25/08/1977
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property12/01/1973
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (33 total)

restoration-order-of-court
restoration · AC92
2015-10-15
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
2000-12-13
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
2000-12-12
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
2000-12-12
legacy
insolvency · 405(2)
2000-12-12
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1998-07-24
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1997-09-22
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1996-07-26
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1995-08-03
liquidation-receiver-statement-of-affairs
insolvency · 3.3
1994-11-11
liquidation-receiver-administrative-receivers-report
insolvency · 3.10
1994-10-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
1994-07-06
legacy
address · 287
1994-07-05
legacy
insolvency · 405(1)
1994-06-24
legacy
mortgage · 395
1994-06-18