ABLINGTON LTD.
🌳Matureactive
03022716 · ltd · incorporated 1995-02-16
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
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
£71.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other holiday and other collective accommodation
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
85 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 £71,661
Net assets shrinking
Down £5,099 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£72k
↓ 6.6% YoY
Current Assets
£17k
↓ 23% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-15 | 2024-02-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £71.7k | £76.8k |
| Current assets | £16.7k | £21.8k |
| Net assets | £71.7k | £76.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-03-22📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-03-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-18📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-02-13📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2003-11-20➕WHITNEY, Mark William appointeddirector
- 2000-02-10➕WHITNEY, Jeffrey William appointedsecretary
- 2000-02-10➖WHITNEY, Ann resignedsecretary
- 1998-11-20➖WILLIAMS, Christopher Gareth resigneddirector
- 1995-02-16🏢Company incorporatedAs ABLINGTON LTD.
- 1995-02-16➕WHITNEY, Ann appointeddirector
- 1995-02-16➕WHITNEY, Ann appointedsecretary
- 1995-02-16➕CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1995-02-16➖CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1995-02-16➕WILLIAMS, Christopher Gareth appointeddirector
Owner dependency
91/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 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
96/100
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 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 31 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
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 Jeffrey William Whitney Individual · English · DOB 04/1948 · age 78 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 22/03/2024 |
Mr Mark William Whitney Individual · British · DOB 08/1983 · age 43 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 22/03/2024 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Ann Whitneyceased 22/03/2024· significant influence
- Mr Mark William Whitneyceased 05/02/2019· significant influence
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 · Hospitality · GL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & M POWELL PROPERTIES LTD→ 15782332 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A.B BRASSERIE LTD→ 11866972 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A&E STREET FOOD LIMITED→ 16570757 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A1209 LTD→ 11794179 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AARON SMITH CATERING LIMITED→ 11081404 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ABC PAVILIONS LIMITED→ 06870991 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ABI'S 22 LIMITED→ 11879713 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACELBA (ANGÈLE'S CUISINE ET LA BELLE AFRICAINE) LIMITED→ 15345324 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AG PUBS LTD→ 09247674 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AH CATERING CIRENCESTER LTD→ 13439759 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AIRBNB - TOM KIRBY LIMITED→ 16527732 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AJA BUSINESS LTD→ 11802073 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1995-02-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC55209 — Other holiday and other collective accommodation
Registered office
Unit 6,Flagstone Farm
Unit 6, Flagstone Farm,Upper Swell,
Cheltenham
Glos
GL54 1ER
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-15
Last made up to: 2025-02-15
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-26
Last: 2025-12-12
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
WHITNEY, Jeffrey William→
Activesecretary · appointed 2000-02-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WHITNEY, Ann→
Activedirector · ~73y · appointed 1995-02-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WHITNEY, Mark William→
Activedirector · ~43y · appointed 2003-11-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WHITNEY, Ann→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-02-16 · resigned 2000-02-10
CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1995-02-16 · resigned 1995-02-16
WILLIAMS, Christopher Gareth→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 1995-02-16 · resigned 1998-11-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (85 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-07
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-01
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-03-22
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-03-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-03-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-20