CONTINENTAL WINES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
01627127 · ltd · incorporated 1982-04-05
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
year to Dec 2025
Net worth
£31.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46342
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 40.7y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 40.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 6 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
109 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £31,001
Net assets shrinking
Down £11,421 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
£31k
↓ 27% YoY
Current Assets
£58k
↓ 46% YoY
Current Liabilities
£0£21k£42k£64k£85k£106kDec 2024Dec 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-12-312024-12-31
Total assets£31.0k£42.4k
Current assets£57.7k£106.1k
Net assets£31.0k£42.4k

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
7
filings
  • 3 officers
  • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-09
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  2. 2026-04-08
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  3. 2026-04-08
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2026-04-08
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2026-04-08
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2026-04-08
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2026-04-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2026-04-01
    BIRCH, Steven Martin appointed
    director
  9. 2026-04-01
    DOWNING, Denise resigned
    director
  10. 2026-04-01
    DOWNING, Geoffrey resigned
    director
  11. 2025-03-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2024-02-13
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  13. 2024-02-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2024-02-02
    DOWNING, Denise appointed
    director
  15. 2023-03-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2022-08-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2021-07-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  18. 2020-06-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  19. 2019-05-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  20. 2019-01-08
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  21. 2018-05-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  22. 2013-06-04
    WILLIAMS, Teresa Ann resigned
    secretary
  23. 2013-06-04
    WILLIAMS, Teresa Ann resigned
    director
  24. 2004-03-25
    MARTELL, David Kenneth resigned
    secretary
  25. 2004-03-25
    WILLIAMS, Teresa Ann appointed
    secretary
  26. 2004-03-25
    MARTELL, David Kenneth resigned
    director
  27. 2004-03-25
    WILLIAMS, Ian Robert resigned
    director
  28. 2004-03-25
    WILLIAMS, Teresa Ann appointed
    director
  29. 1985-11-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  30. 1982-04-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CONTINENTAL WINES LIMITED

Owner dependency

75/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

45/100
Moderate signal

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

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

1 med ·
2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

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

Evidence: DOWNING, Denise resigned 2026-04-01; DOWNING, Geoffrey resigned 2026-04-01

Group structure

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

🏛️
Hertfields Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
CONTINENTAL WINES LIMITED
This company · 01627127

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
Hertfields Limited
Corporate entity
75100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control01/04/2026
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Geoffrey Downingceased 01/04/2026· 75-100% shares

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 · CM postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ALL TECH 45 LIMITED
11191465 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
8y
AMBER PATH TRADING LTD
16184224 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
1y
ATELIER TIME LIMITED
16838476 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
ATHAM GROUPS LTD
12022622 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
6y
AUGMENTA GLOBAL LTD
11427721 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
7y
AURORA ENERGY GROUP LIMITED
14558303 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
AVIAD GLOBAL LIMITED
12333384 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
6y
AXORA SOLUTIONS LTD
16506058 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
BALLOONS OF LONDON LIMITED
03555893 · est 1998 · no financials extracted
27y
BAMKO UK, LIMITED
07998108 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
14y
BARCLAY WOLF LIMITED
10211934 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
9y
BARD INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
02995741 · est 1994 · no financials extracted
31y
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
Incorporated1982-04-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46342 — SIC 46342

Registered office

Rae House
Dane Street
Bishop's Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM23 3BT
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-09
Last: 2025-07-26

Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)

BIRCH, Steven Martin
director · ~45y · appointed 2026-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MARTELL, David Kenneth
secretary · resigned 2004-03-25
Resigned
WILLIAMS, Teresa Ann
secretary · appointed 2004-03-25 · resigned 2013-06-04
Resigned
DOWNING, Denise
director · ~66y · appointed 2024-02-02 · resigned 2026-04-01
Resigned
DOWNING, Geoffrey
director · ~72y · resigned 2026-04-01
Resigned
MARTELL, David Kenneth
director · ~78y · resigned 2004-03-25
Resigned
WILLIAMS, Ian Robert
director · ~78y · resigned 2004-03-25
Resigned
WILLIAMS, Teresa Ann
director · ~77y · appointed 2004-03-25 · resigned 2013-06-04
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property29/11/1985
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (109 total)

appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-04-09
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2026-04-08
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-04-08
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-04-08
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-04-08
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-04-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-02
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-01