A. B. CHOLERTON LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01762778 · ltd · incorporated 1983-10-19
Investment thesis
Unencumbered property vehicle — clean asset-backed target with refinance headroom.
Why interesting: Property-holding entity with no live charges; straightforward asset-backed case.
Why risky: Values depend on title and valuation; property-specific market exposure.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Asset base steady — strong defensive profile, no urgency cue.
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2026
Net worth
£1.37M
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Development of building projects
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 85-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 85). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (85/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
3 years of iXBRL accounts extracted + narrative notes parsed
95
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
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
97 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,370,185
Net assets shrinking
Down £125,788 YoY
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year
Key financials
3 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£240k
~ YoY
Net Worth
£1.4m
↓ 8.4% YoY
Current Assets
£242k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2026-05-31 | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.43M | £1.61M | £1.59M |
| Current assets | £241.8k | £241.8k | £223.2k |
| Cash | £239.6k | £239.6k | £221.5k |
| Debtors | £2.2k | £2.2k | £1.7k |
| Net assets | £1.37M | £1.50M | £1.48M |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-01-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-01-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-18📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2003-06-01➖CHOLERTON, Adrian Robert resigneddirector
- 2000-01-01➕CHOLERTON, Adrian Robert appointeddirector
- 1983-10-19🏢Company incorporatedAs A. B. CHOLERTON LIMITED
Owner dependency
96/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CHOLERTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 85 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
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 85 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 43 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Anthony Brian Cholerton Individual · British · DOB 01/1941 · age 85 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Mary Cholerton Individual · British · DOB 05/1943 · age 83 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 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 · Construction · DE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & E PROPERTY & INVESTMENT LTD→ 12417332 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| A & H PROPERTIES FAULD LTD→ 15119551 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A F SURFACING & GROUNDWORKS LTD→ 13548934 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A H PEABODY CONSULTING LIMITED→ 14003933 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A H&F POWER SERVICES LTD→ 16503464 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. H. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 06117110 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ACB HOME IMPROVEMENTS LTD→ 06276620 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ACE & TOPLIS RAIL LTD→ 16495222 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADKIN MECHANICAL SERVICES LTD→ 08330799 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ADVANCED DESIGN ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 14528611 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADVANCED PROPERTIES (MIDLANDS) LTD→ 16724765 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AEG CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 13153011 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1983-10-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41100 — Development of building projects
Registered office
The Mills
Canal Street
Derby
Derbyshire
DE1 2RJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2028-02-29
Last made up to: 2026-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
Active
Active
Active
CHOLERTON, Adrian Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2000-01-01 · resigned 2003-06-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (97 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-01-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-01-09