A.COOMBS PET CENTRE LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00888218 · ltd · incorporated 1966-09-22
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£345.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 47760
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -69% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 41.9y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 41.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
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
11 officers (4 active, 11 linked, 9 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
111 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red 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 £345,711
Net assets shrinking
Down £37,571 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 69% YoY
Cash YoY
-69%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£16k
↓ 69% YoY
Net Worth
£346k
↓ 9.8% YoY
Current Assets
£479k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£96k£192k£289k£385k£481kDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£360.5k£395.5k
Current assets£478.9k£481.2k
Cash£16.1k£52.6k
Debtors£67.7k£33.4k
Net assets£345.7k£383.3k

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 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-25
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2024-03-12
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  5. 2024-02-02
    ➕
    HARPER, Carly Anne appointed
    director
  6. 2023-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-05-11
    ➕
    HARPER, Stuart James appointed
    director
  9. 2022-05-11
    ➖
    HARPER, Robert John resigned
    director
  10. 2022-05-11
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  11. 2022-05-11
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2022-04-26
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  13. 2022-04-26
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  14. 2021-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2020-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2020-03-03
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  17. 2019-09-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-05-02
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  19. 2019-02-01
    ➖
    HARPER, Richard Alan resigned
    director
  20. 2018-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  21. 2007-01-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  22. 2007-01-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  23. 2007-01-01
    ➕
    HARPER, Robert Edward appointed
    secretary
  24. 2006-12-31
    ➖
    COOMBS, Peter Allan resigned
    secretary
  25. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    HARPER, Robert Edward appointed
    director
  26. 2006-12-21
    ➖
    COOMBS, Joan Mary resigned
    director
  27. 2006-12-21
    ➖
    COOMBS, Peter Allan resigned
    director
  28. 2006-12-21
    ➖
    COOMBS, Yvonne resigned
    director
  29. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    HARPER, Richard Alan appointed
    director
  30. 1995-04-22
    ➖
    COOMBS, Allan Bertram resigned
    director
  31. 1992-01-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  32. 1984-06-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  33. 1966-09-22
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A.COOMBS PET CENTRE LIMITED

Owner dependency

68/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material 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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

43/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Robert Edward Harper
Individual · British · DOB 09/1983 · age 43
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting01/05/2017
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Stuart James Harperceased 02/02/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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

6 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
Incorporated1966-09-22
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47760 — SIC 47760

Registered office

19-21 Baker Street
Brighton
BN1 4JN
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-16
Last: 2026-02-02

Officers (4 active · 7 resigned)

HARPER, Robert Edward→
secretary · appointed 2007-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HARPER, Carly Anne→
director · ~43y · appointed 2024-02-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HARPER, Robert Edward→
director · ~43y · appointed 2006-12-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HARPER, Stuart James→
director · ~52y · appointed 2022-05-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COOMBS, Peter Allan→
secretary · resigned 2006-12-31
Resigned
COOMBS, Allan Bertram→
director · ~116y · resigned 1995-04-22
Resigned
COOMBS, Joan Mary→
director · ~113y · resigned 2006-12-21
Resigned
COOMBS, Peter Allan→
director · ~84y · resigned 2006-12-21
Resigned
COOMBS, Yvonne→
director · ~77y · resigned 2006-12-21
Resigned
HARPER, Richard Alan→
director · ~45y · appointed 2006-12-21 · resigned 2019-02-01
Resigned
HARPER, Robert John→
director · ~78y · resigned 2022-05-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Charge1 property02/01/199231/01/2007
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Fixed and floating charge1 property12/06/198431/01/2007

Recent filings (111 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-25
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-03-25
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-03-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-30
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-05-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-05-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-26
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-04-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-04-26