BLAKES DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 34.9y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 34.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 0 | 0 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-15📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-31➖BLAKE, Joyce Cresswell resignedsecretary
- 2024-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-08📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-18📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-11-10➖BLAKE, Maurice resigneddirector
- 2018-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-12📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2017-12-12✏️change-of-name-noticechange-of-name · CONNOT
- 2017-11-15📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2017-11-15🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2017-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-01-18➕BLAKE, Graham Andrew appointeddirector
- 1991-06-26🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1987-02-23🏢Company incorporatedAs BLAKES DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BLAKE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 39 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Graham Andrew Blake Individual · British · DOB 05/1966 · age 60 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 07/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · TR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 752 LIFE LTD→ 11455564 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ALISONS AIR FILTERS LTD→ 16343248 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALL GOOD THINGS AGENCY LTD→ 16016928 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARSALAN TRADING LTD→ 16259783 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ART GARDEN GREETINGS LTD→ 15656040 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BEAUTIFULLY HANDCRAFTED LTD→ 08690925 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BIZBRAZ SERVICES LTD→ 16305249 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BLACKGOLD SW LIMITED→ 14701360 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BLAMEYS BRAND LTD→ 15989086 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BLOOM AND BAY LTD→ 17129142 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BLOOMS BRIDAL LTD→ 14231740 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BRAND EXCHANGE LTD→ 08681169 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 26/06/1991 | 15/11/2017 |