BALANCEBEST LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01312469 · ltd · incorporated 1977-05-04
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 35.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46760
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 35.9y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 35.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (72/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
106 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
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
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-06-30 |
|---|---|
| Average employees | 700 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-25📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2024-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-28📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2024-08-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-08-27➖SHERWOOD, David Anthony resigneddirector
- 2023-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-27📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-29📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-23➕SHERWOOD, David Anthony appointeddirector
- 2021-11-23📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2010-11-22➖FORD, Derek resigneddirector
- 2010-08-07🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2010-08-07🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2006-08-25➕FITZPATRICK, Adrian Phillip appointedsecretary
- 2006-08-25➕FITZPATRICK, Adrian Phillip appointeddirector
- 2006-08-25➕FORD, Nicole appointeddirector
- 2006-08-25➖FORD, Jean resignedsecretary
- 2006-08-25➖FORD, Jean resigneddirector
- 1995-03-01🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Yorkshire Bank PLC
- 1990-07-04🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Yorkshire Bank PLC
- 1977-05-04🏢Company incorporatedAs BALANCEBEST LIMITED
Owner dependency
76/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miss Nicole Ford Individual · British · DOB 11/1966 · age 60 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Adrian Phillip Fitzpatrick Individual · British · DOB 02/1978 · age 48 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 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 · Wholesale & distribution · WF postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AXCHEM (UK) LIMITED→ 05577382 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| BAFLYN LTD→ 16250219 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BAKER & WELLS LTD→ 11677616 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BARE3 LTD→ 16841382 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BARELY LACED UK LTD→ 16861422 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BARGAIN PROZZ LIMITED→ 16259676 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BARRIQUE FINE WINES LTD→ 12818480 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BATLEY COMPONENTS LTD→ 13807456 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BATLEY WHOLESALE LTD→ 16767333 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BAXTERS REFRIGERANTS LTD→ 13236527 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BC PROFILES WAKEFIELD LTD→ 15770159 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BC SPRINGS LIMITED→ 07198717 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1977-05-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46760 — SIC 46760
Registered office
118 Wheldon Road
Castleford
West Yorkshire
WF10 2RT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-28
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-10
Last: 2026-04-26
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
FITZPATRICK, Adrian Phillip→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-08-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FITZPATRICK, Adrian Phillip→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2006-08-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORD, Nicole→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2006-08-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORD, Jean→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2006-08-25
FORD, Derek→
Resigneddirector · ~100y · resigned 2010-11-22
FORD, Jean→
Resigneddirector · ~91y · resigned 2006-08-25
SHERWOOD, David Anthony→
Resigneddirector · ~39y · appointed 2021-11-23 · resigned 2024-08-27
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Virgin Money Yorkshire Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 01/03/1995 | 07/08/2010 | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Yorkshire Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 04/07/1990 | 07/08/2010 |
Recent filings (106 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-03-27
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2025-09-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-12-24
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-09-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-08-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-29
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2022-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-28