FOWLER-PALEY LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00995256 · ltd · incorporated 1970-11-25
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£452.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of open-ended investment companies
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 82-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 82). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -70% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 48.8y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 48.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
110 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
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £452,455
Net assets shrinking
Down £29,852 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 70% YoY
Cash YoY
-70%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£145k
↓ 70% YoY
Net Worth
£452k
↓ 6.2% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £452.5k | £482.3k |
| Cash | £145.0k | £479.8k |
| Net assets | £452.5k | £482.3k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-11-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-06-13📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-24📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-08-05📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-08-05📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-08-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-07-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2012-10-01➕GRUNWELL, Richard Lincoln appointeddirector
- 2012-10-01➕WILKINSON, Ralph English appointeddirector
- 2012-06-09➖MEIN, Constance Maureen resignedsecretary
- 2012-06-09➖MEIN, Constance Maureen resigneddirector
- 2012-01-20➖MEIN, Jack Clare resigneddirector
- 1982-03-12🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1978-10-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1978-09-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1977-09-30🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Argyle Building Society
- 1970-11-25🏢Company incorporatedAs FOWLER-PALEY LIMITED
Owner dependency
73/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
89/100
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 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 56 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Richard Lincoln Grunwell Individual · British · DOB 09/1944 · age 82 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/07/2016 |
Mr Ralph English Wilkinson Individual · British · DOB 03/1955 · age 71 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Financial services · YO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRYPTO FLOW LIMITED→ 10808935 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| DVAM LTD→ 15951379 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| FINANCIAL WEALTH SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 09688906 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| FIRST SOVEREIGN PROJECTS LIMITED→ 12591799 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FLAXTON FINANCE LIMITED→ 01876041 · est 1985 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
| GLANIMOORE LIMITED→ 13257833 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GREAVES FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD→ 07390414 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| GRIMSTON MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 11029848 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| GROW INVEST LTD→ 13304561 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GROWTH PARTNER VENTURES LIMITED→ 15581319 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| GW FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT LTD→ 07937117 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| GWS FINANCIAL PLANNING LIMITED→ 16494820 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1970-11-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64304 — Activities of open-ended investment companies
Registered office
5&6 Manor Court Manor Garth
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
YO11 3TU
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-14
Last: 2025-07-31
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
GRUNWELL, Richard Lincoln→
Activedirector · ~82y · appointed 2012-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WILKINSON, Ralph English→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2012-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MEIN, Constance Maureen→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2012-06-09
MEIN, Constance Maureen→
Resigneddirector · ~98y · resigned 2012-06-09
MEIN, Jack Clare→
Resigneddirector · ~97y · resigned 2012-01-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 12/03/1982 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 05/10/1978 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 22/09/1978 | — | |
| outstanding | Argyle Building Society | Mortgage | 1 property | 30/09/1977 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-06-15
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-06-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-11-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-08-05