RALPH HOLMES & SONS (FISH MERCHANTS) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
01243610 · ltd · incorporated 1976-02-09
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 37.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2025
Net worth
£153.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 47230
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 81-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 81). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · oldest 37.2y

65/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 37.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
117 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
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 · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £153,150
Cash YoY
-1%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£36k
~ YoY
Net Worth
£153k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£54k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£31k£61k£92k£123k£153kJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£153.2k£152.3k
Current assets£54.2k£53.9k
Cash£36.0k£36.1k
Debtors£18.3k£17.7k
Net assets£153.2k£152.3k

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 (34 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-17
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  2. 2025-11-17
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-11-08
    ➕
    PRYER, Caroline appointed
    director
  4. 2025-11-08
    ➖
    HOLMES, Charles Ralph Seddon resigned
    director
  5. 2025-06-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-07-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-09-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-09-21
    📄
    notice-of-removal-of-a-director
    officers · AP01
  9. 2022-09-21
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  10. 2022-09-21
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  11. 2022-08-31
    ➕
    HOLMES, Charles Ralph Seddon appointed
    secretary
  12. 2022-08-31
    ➕
    HOLMES, Charles Ralph Seddon appointed
    director
  13. 2022-06-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2021-10-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2021-06-08
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  16. 2021-06-08
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  17. 2021-05-20
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  18. 2021-05-19
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  19. 2021-05-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  20. 2021-05-19
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  21. 2021-05-16
    ➖
    HOLMES, Maureen Anderson resigned
    secretary
  22. 2021-05-16
    ➖
    HOLMES, Maureen Anderson resigned
    director
  23. 2020-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  24. 2019-11-14
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  25. 2019-11-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  26. 1996-06-20
    ➕
    HOLMES, Maureen Anderson appointed
    director
  27. 1995-05-01
    ➕
    HOLMES, Maureen Anderson appointed
    secretary
  28. 1995-04-28
    ➖
    HOLMES, Evelyn resigned
    secretary
  29. 1995-04-28
    ➖
    HOLMES, Evelyn resigned
    director
  30. 1992-10-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  31. 1992-06-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  32. 1992-02-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  33. 1989-05-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  34. 1976-02-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As RALPH HOLMES & SONS (FISH MERCHANTS) 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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HOLMES" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 81 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

66/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 81 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr. Ralph Seddon Holmes
Individual · British · DOB 09/1945 · age 81
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mr Edward Henry Grove Chester
Individual · British · DOB 08/1947 · age 79
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Maureen Anderson Holmesceased 16/05/2021· significant influence

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1976-02-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47230 — SIC 47230

Registered office

12 Middle Street Spittal
Berwick Upon Tweed
Northumberland
TD15 1RZ
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-25
Last: 2025-11-11

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

HOLMES, Charles Ralph Seddon→
secretary · appointed 2022-08-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOLMES, Ralph Seddon, Mr.→
director · ~81y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PRYER, Caroline→
director · ~72y · appointed 2025-11-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOLMES, Evelyn→
secretary · resigned 1995-04-28
Resigned
HOLMES, Maureen Anderson→
secretary · appointed 1995-05-01 · resigned 2021-05-16
Resigned
HOLMES, Charles Ralph Seddon→
director · ~42y · appointed 2022-08-31 · resigned 2025-11-08
Resigned
HOLMES, Evelyn→
director · ~104y · resigned 1995-04-28
Resigned
HOLMES, Maureen Anderson→
director · ~81y · appointed 1996-06-20 · resigned 2021-05-16
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property10/06/1992—
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/02/199208/06/2021
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property19/05/198924/10/1992
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (117 total)

appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-21
notice-of-removal-of-a-director
officers · AP01
2022-09-21
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2022-09-21
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-09-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-19