A.T. LITTLE & SONS LIMITED

📉Decliningactive
01607961 · ltd · incorporated 1982-01-14
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
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
  • · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
  • · Currently "declining"
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Conservative operator with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (78/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 44.2y

70/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 44.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 23/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: high (83/100)

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 8 with DOB)
88
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
13 connected companies via shared directors
84
Filing history
136 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
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
69
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Profitable
Profit before tax £583,909

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
£0£0£0£0£0£0Feb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-02-282024-02-29
Profit before tax£583.9k£870.2k
Average employees829100

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 (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2025-11-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-11-20
    LITTLE, Andrew Thomas resigned
    director
  4. 2025-11-20
    STAFFORD, Yvette Jane resigned
    director
  5. 2025-11-10
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  6. 2025-11-10
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2025-11-10
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  8. 2025-11-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2025-11-07
    HALES, Ashley Elizabeth appointed
    director
  10. 2025-11-07
    LITTLE, Nicola Gail appointed
    director
  11. 2025-11-07
    STAFFORD, Ashley resigned
    director
  12. 2024-11-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2023-11-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2023-07-25
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2022-11-22
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2022-11-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2021-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2021-07-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  19. 2021-07-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  20. 2021-07-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  21. 2021-07-12
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  22. 2021-05-25
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  23. 2021-05-18
    STAFFORD, Ashley appointed
    director
  24. 2020-11-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  25. 2019-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  26. 2013-05-31
    LITTLE, Alan Thomas resigned
    director
  27. 2013-05-31
    LITTLE, Jean Barbara resigned
    director
  28. 2009-10-05
    LITTLE, Jean Barbara resigned
    secretary
  29. 2005-05-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  30. 2005-05-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  31. 1991-06-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  32. 1991-03-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  33. 1986-07-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  34. 1982-03-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  35. 1982-01-14
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A.T. LITTLE & SONS LIMITED

Owner dependency

81/100
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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LITTLE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

40/100
Moderate signal

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.

Red flags

2 med ·
3 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: LITTLE, Andrew Thomas resigned 2025-11-20; STAFFORD, Ashley resigned 2025-11-07; STAFFORD, Yvette Jane resigned 2025-11-20

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.

Group structure

The Little Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
The Little Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
A.T. LITTLE & SONS LIMITED
This company · 01607961

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
The Little Group Limited
Corporate entity
75100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1982-01-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade

Registered office

Browns Books Melton Enterprise Park
5 Redcliff Road
Melton
East Yorkshire
HU14 3RS
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-29
Last: 2025-06-15

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

HALES, Ashley Elizabeth
director · ~39y · appointed 2025-11-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LITTLE, Jonathan James
director · ~61y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LITTLE, Nicola Gail
director · ~58y · appointed 2025-11-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LITTLE, Jean Barbara
secretary · resigned 2009-10-05
Resigned
LITTLE, Alan Thomas
director · ~96y · resigned 2013-05-31
Resigned
LITTLE, Andrew Thomas
director · ~66y · resigned 2025-11-20
Resigned
LITTLE, Jean Barbara
director · ~90y · resigned 2013-05-31
Resigned
STAFFORD, Ashley
director · ~39y · appointed 2021-05-18 · resigned 2025-11-07
Resigned
STAFFORD, Yvette Jane
director · ~65y · resigned 2025-11-20
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property10/06/199104/05/2005
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Debenture1 property01/07/198604/05/2005
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property12/03/198230/03/1991

Recent filings (136 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-21
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-21
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-24
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-16