ALFRED HARROLD (CONTAINERS) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01526074 · ltd · incorporated 1980-11-03
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 38.5y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2026
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 80-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 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 38.5y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 38.5 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 (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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
108 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2026-03-31 | 2025-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 0 | 0 |
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 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-08📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-05-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2000-03-31🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1999-03-31➕ALLISON, Elaine appointedsecretary
- 1999-03-31➖SMALLS, Peter Harry resignedsecretary
- 1999-03-15🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1994-05-07➕JOHNSTON, Alan Macdonald appointeddirector
- 1994-05-07➖CHAMBERLAIN, Joseph Thomas Ronald resigneddirector
- 1994-05-07➖DENNICK, Thomas Iles resigneddirector
- 1988-01-25🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1980-11-03🏢Company incorporatedAs ALFRED HARROLD (CONTAINERS) LIMITED
Owner dependency
83/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
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 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 46 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
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Elaine Allison Individual · British · DOB 07/1963 · age 63 | 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 · Trade services · PE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIRBRUSHED AESTHETICS LTD→ 12271922 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AJB SERVICING SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 11021803 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AKCUSTOMS LTD→ 13241212 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AKS WEALTH MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 10534881 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AL ALLIANCE LTD→ 11020321 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ALBANY GARDEN SERVICES LTD→ 14015457 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ALETHIA MEDIA LTD→ 07758670 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ALEX THE BARBER LTD→ 15837080 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALEXANDER & GREGG HAIR CO LIMITED→ 11922511 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ALI'S ANGELS LTD→ 13437304 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ALICO INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 12353015 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ALL ABOUT YOU HAIR & BEAUTY LTD→ 07576661 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1980-11-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Sandyland
Wisbech
Cambridgeshire
PE13 1TF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-15
Last: 2026-03-01
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
Active
Active
JOHNSTON, Alan Macdonald→
Activedirector · ~80y · appointed 1994-05-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMALLS, Peter Harry→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1999-03-31
CHAMBERLAIN, Joseph Thomas Ronald→
Resigneddirector · ~110y · resigned 1994-05-07
DENNICK, Thomas Iles→
Resigneddirector · ~106y · resigned 1994-05-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 2 properties | 31/03/2000 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Guarantee & debenture | 1 property | 15/03/1999 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 25/01/1988 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (108 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-07-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-08-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-06-18