BARNACLES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
02414331 · ltd · incorporated 1989-08-17
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Take-away food shops and mobile food stands
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 83-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
5 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 36.4y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 36.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (57/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
101 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-16📄termination-director-companyofficers · TM01
- 2018-10-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-10-15➖SMITH, Frances resigneddirector
- 2018-02-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-20📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-28📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AAMD
- 2014-07-01🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2014-07-01🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2014-07-01🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2009-06-03🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2009-06-03🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2004-06-14🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-01-09🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 1992-04-16🔒Charge registered #3Lender: 3I Group PLC
- 1992-01-20🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1990-02-26🔒Charge registered #1Lender: 3 I PLC
- 1989-08-17🏢Company incorporatedAs BARNACLES LIMITED
Owner dependency
81/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 83 — 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 83 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 37 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Gordon Paul James Irvine Individual · British · DOB 12/1943 · age 83 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AYRESOME BITES LIMITED→ 16445051 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| AZAD PIZZERIA LTD→ 16158361 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BABA JON'S TAKEAWAY LTD→ 15442204 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BADGER'S BAR 2025 LIMITED→ 16880811 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BAKED & BREWED LTD→ 16690866 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BALTI HUT NORTH EAST LIMITED→ 10263664 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BALTI STATION LTD→ 14053218 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BAR NOIR REDCAR LTD→ 14287334 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BAR45 LTD→ 14777844 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BARREBOUND LTD→ 16020440 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BARWICKS LTD→ 09988579 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1989-08-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC56103 — Take-away food shops and mobile food stands
Registered office
10,Dikes Lane,
Great Ayton,
Middlesbrough.
TS9 6HJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-24
Last: 2025-10-10
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
5
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 14/06/2004 | 01/07/2014 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 09/01/2003 | 01/07/2014 | |
| satisfied | 3I Group 3I Group PLC | Collateral debenture | 1 property | 16/04/1992 | 03/06/2009 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Fixed and floating charge | 1 property | 20/01/1992 | 01/07/2014 | |
| satisfied | 3 I 3 I PLC | Collateral debenture | 1 property | 26/02/1990 | 03/06/2009 |
Recent filings (101 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-04-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-09-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-02-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-02-08
termination-director-company
officers · TM01
2018-10-16