AUSTEN INSTANT TAPES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00859041 · ltd · incorporated 1965-09-15
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£487.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 72-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 72). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
9 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 54.0y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 54.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (73/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
150 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £487,715
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£368k
Net Worth
£488k
Current Assets
£576k
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £487.7k |
| Current assets | £576.0k |
| Cash | £367.9k |
| Debtors | £136.3k |
| Net assets | £487.7k |
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
5
filings
- • 2 gazette
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (52 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-18📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2026-04-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-04-17📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-04-14📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2025-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-23📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2024-03-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-03-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-03-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-03-22📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-03-22📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-03-19📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2023-09-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-21➕KNEE, Mark Peter appointeddirector
- 2023-04-19📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-04-19🔓Charge satisfied #9
- 2023-02-01📄mortgage-charge-whole-cease-and-release-with-charge-numbermortgage · MR05
- 2022-10-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2022-08-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-08-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-03-19📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2015-01-01➕DIMARINO, Giuseppe appointeddirector
- 2015-01-01➖HOWIE, Sheila May resignedsecretary
- 2015-01-01➖HOWIE, Sheila May resigneddirector
- 2005-05-05🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2005-05-05🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2005-04-23🔓Charge satisfied #8
- 2005-04-19🔒Charge registered #9Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland Commercial Services Limited
- 1997-07-10🔒Charge registered #8Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1995-09-27🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 1994-12-10🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 1994-12-10🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 1994-12-10🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 1994-12-10🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1994-11-30➕HOWIE, Sheila May appointedsecretary
- 1994-11-30➖WILTSHIRE (NEE AUSTEN), Vera resignedsecretary
- 1994-11-30➖BAGLEY, Peter Ian resigneddirector
- 1994-11-30➕HOWIE, Sheila May appointeddirector
- 1994-11-30➖WILTSHIRE (NEE AUSTEN), Vera resigneddirector
- 1994-11-30🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1994-11-30🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1994-11-01➕HOWIE, Neil Shaw appointeddirector
- 1994-09-16🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1994-01-31➖HARVEY, Paul Michael resigneddirector
- 1992-12-07➕HARVEY, Paul Michael appointeddirector
- 1983-04-27🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1983-02-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1975-01-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
Showing most recent 50 of 52 events
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
90/100
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 72 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 61 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 ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Neil Shaw Howie Individual · British · DOB 12/1954 · age 72 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 16/04/2026 |
Mr Giuseppe Di Marino Individual · Italian · DOB 06/1966 · age 60 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 21/07/2023 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Neil Shaw Howieceased 16/04/2026· 25-50% shares
- Howie Holdings Limitedceased 21/07/2023· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
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 →Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · BN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAUTECH FLOORING UK LTD→ 11256424 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BB ALL-STAR LTD→ 14895851 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BCS SUPPLIES LTD→ 02913927 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| BD WHOLESALE AND CATERING LIMITED→ 14431585 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BEAUTILE SHOWROOM LTD→ 16012675 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BELL & FOX DESIGN LIMITED→ 10264218 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BENCHMARK DRINKS LTD→ 11164581 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BENORA FOOD LTD→ 11728621 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BENTON WEATHERSTONE LIMITED→ 02800978 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | — | — |
| BEYOND MERCHANDISE LTD→ 05617146 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| BFBRANDS LTD→ 14023274 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BIG FOREST COSMETICS LTD→ 13138158 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1965-09-15
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade
Registered office
70 South Street
Lancing
BN15 8AJ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-10
Last: 2025-12-27
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
DIMARINO, Giuseppe→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2015-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOWIE, Neil Shaw→
Activedirector · ~72y · appointed 1994-11-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KNEE, Mark Peter→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2023-07-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOWIE, Sheila May→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1994-11-30 · resigned 2015-01-01
WILTSHIRE (NEE AUSTEN), Vera→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1994-11-30
BAGLEY, Peter Ian→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · resigned 1994-11-30
HARVEY, Paul Michael→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 1992-12-07 · resigned 1994-01-31
HOWIE, Sheila May→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 1994-11-30 · resigned 2015-01-01
WILTSHIRE (NEE AUSTEN), Vera→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · resigned 1994-11-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
9
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland Commercial Services Limited | Fixed and floating charge | 1 property | 19/04/2005 | 19/04/2023 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Guarantee & debenture | 1 property | 10/07/1997 | 23/04/2005 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 30/11/1994 | 05/05/2005 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 30/11/1994 | 05/05/2005 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Fixed and floating charge | 1 property | 16/09/1994 | 27/09/1995 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 27/04/1983 | 10/12/1994 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 1 property | 15/02/1983 | 10/12/1994 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 29/01/1975 | 10/12/1994 | |
| satisfied | Eagle Stew Insurance Company . Eagle Stew Insurance Company LTD. | Mortgage | 2 properties | 18/07/1972 | 10/12/1994 |
Recent filings (150 total)
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2026-04-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-17
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-04-17
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-04-17
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2026-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-10
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2024-03-23
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-03-22
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-03-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-03-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-22
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-03-22
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-03-22