KITAGAWA EUROPE LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

01662295 · ltd · incorporated 1982-09-06

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.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Dec 2025

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

82/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 46620

Sector: Wholesale & retail

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 38.8y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 38.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 40/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (74/100)

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

Lenders & charges

3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)

Directors & officers

35 officers (9 active, 35 linked, 30 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

8 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

201 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

🔒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

82/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

—

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2025-12-31
Average employees	33

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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

filing

• 1 miscellaneous

Last 90 days

filings

• 1 miscellaneous
• 1 confirmation-statement
• 1 officers

Last 180 days

filings

• 2 officers
• 1 miscellaneous
• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (83 events)Click to expand

2026-06-18
📄
legacy
miscellaneous · ANNOTATION
2026-05-22
➕
FENWICK, Sebastian Edmund appointed
director
2026-05-22
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-04-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2026-03-19
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2026-01-07
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-31
➖
MORGAN, Gary resigned
director
2025-11-19
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-11-19
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-11-19
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2025-11-19
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2025-05-30
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-05-01
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2025-05-01
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-04-15
📄
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AAMD
2025-04-14
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2024-11-19
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC06
2024-11-08
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-11-08
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2024-11-07
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-07
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-11-06
➕
MORGAN, Gary appointed
director
2024-06-10
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2024-05-28
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-05-23
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-05-23
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-05-14
➕
MATSUBA, Norihito appointed
director
2024-05-14
➕
OKANO, Kimio appointed
director
2024-05-14
➖
KITAGAWA, Yuji resigned
director
2023-09-26
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-09-19
➕
MURRAY-THREIPLAND, Alexander Patrick appointed
director
2023-06-12
➖
MURRAY THREIPLAND, Stuart Wyndham resigned
director
2023-04-27
➕
WADA, Yuji appointed
director
2023-04-27
➖
KONDO, Masaki resigned
director
2021-04-07
➕
KONDO, Masaki appointed
director
2021-02-26
➖
KIKKAWA, Kimihiro resigned
director
2021-01-04
➖
FUJIMOTO, Hisashi resigned
director
2021-01-04
➕
KIKKAWA, Kimihiro appointed
director
2018-06-01
➕
KITAGAWA, Kazunori appointed
director
2018-06-01
➕
FUJIMOTO, Hisashi appointed
director
2018-06-01
➖
FUJIWARA, Yasumasa resigned
director
2018-06-01
➖
KITAGAWA, Hiroshi resigned
director
2016-05-18
➕
FUJIWARA, Yasumasa appointed
director
2016-05-18
➖
TANIGAWA, Teruyuki resigned
director
2015-08-18
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Ke Executive Pension Scheme
2015-08-13
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance LTD
2014-05-20
➖
KITAGAWA, Hideo resigned
director
2014-05-20
➕
TANIGAWA, Teruyuki appointed
director
2013-09-19
➕
MURRAY-THREIPLAND, Robert Wyndham appointed
director
2013-09-19
➖
MURRAY THREIPLAND, Alexander Patrick resigned
director

Showing most recent 50 of 83 events

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

-8 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "KITAGAWA" — strong identity link between founder and business.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean

No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Kitagawa Corporation holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.

🏛️

Kitagawa Corporation

Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares

significant stake

⬇

KITAGAWA EUROPE LIMITED

This company · 01662295

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

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Kitagawa Corporation Corporate entity	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	06/04/2016

1 historic (ceased) PSC

Mr Stuart Wyndham Murray-Threiplandceased 08/11/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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 · SP postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
KATESKITCHEN MICROBAKERY LTD→ 16479763 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
KITCHEN GARDEN BOTANICALS LTD→ 12852725 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
KONNECTGLOBAL HUB GROUP LTD→ 17044553 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
LITTLEWORLD GLOBAL LTD→ 14000959 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
LOWICKS COMMUNITY LTD→ 14901511 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
M J EQUINE LTD→ 07202431 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	16y	—	—
MANOR Q SOURCING LTD→ 16884310 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
MATTERHORN LIMITED→ 08271443 · est 2012 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	13y	—	—
MATTERMOON LTD→ 15977532 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
MERU PICKS LIMITED→ 16964781 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
MJ CADE LTD→ 15701823 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
MLT INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 15711997 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—

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

Incorporated1982-09-06

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC46620 — SIC 46620

Registered office

Unit 1 The Headlands Salisbury

Road, Downton

Salisbury

SP5 3JJ

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-09-30

Last made up to: 2025-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-06-05

Last: 2026-05-22