CO TOPS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
03130832 · ltd · incorporated 1995-11-27
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 2024
Net worth
£598.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 31020
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 30.6y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 30.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
11 officers (5 active, 11 linked, 8 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
101 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
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £597,982
Net assets shrinking
Down £284,088 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 42% YoY
Cash YoY
-42%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£184k
↓ 42% YoY
Net Worth
£598k
↓ 32% YoY
Current Assets
£830k
↓ 17% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £600.1k | £885.1k |
| Current assets | £829.7k | £998.3k |
| Cash | £183.5k | £316.5k |
| Debtors | £254.0k | £249.9k |
| Net assets | £598.0k | £882.1k |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-15📄replacement-filing-of-director-appointment-with-nameofficers · RP01AP01
- 2025-12-12📄replacement-filing-of-director-appointment-with-nameofficers · RP01AP01
- 2025-12-10➕KAYSER, Tony John appointeddirector
- 2025-12-10➖KAYSER, Tony John resigneddirector
- 2025-12-10➖MCGUIGAN, Patrick Joseph resigneddirector
- 2025-12-10📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-12-10📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-12-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-11📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-03-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-03-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-03-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-01-01➕BIBBY, John Patrick appointeddirector
- 2025-01-01➕HAYNES, John David appointeddirector
- 2025-01-01➕HAYNES, John Tony appointeddirector
- 2024-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-14📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2022-12-02📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-12-02📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-11-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-11-25📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-11-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-11-21➕MCGUIGAN, Patrick Joseph appointeddirector
- 2022-11-21➖WEALL, Lindsey Anne resignedsecretary
- 2022-11-21➕KAYSER, Tony John appointeddirector
- 2022-11-21➕MCGUIGAN, Patrick Joseph appointeddirector
- 2022-11-21➖WEALL, Nicholas David resigneddirector
- 2022-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2004-04-03🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2003-01-20🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Pub 1)
- 2003-01-15🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ)
- 1995-12-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Awd Limited
- 1995-11-27🏢Company incorporatedAs CO TOPS LIMITED
- 1995-11-27➕WEALL, Lindsey Anne appointedsecretary
- 1995-11-27➕WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1995-11-27➖WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1995-11-27➕WEALL, Nicholas David appointeddirector
- 1995-11-27➕WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1995-11-27➖WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
63/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- -5 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
Red flags
1 med ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: KAYSER, Tony John resigned 2025-12-10; MCGUIGAN, Patrick Joseph resigned 2025-12-10
Group structure
Co Tops Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Co Tops Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
CO TOPS LIMITED
This company · 03130832
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Co Tops Holdings Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 21/11/2022 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Nicholas David Weallceased 21/11/2022· 25-50% shares
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 · Manufacturing · LU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLOCKS DIRECT LTD→ 16515561 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C2 SIGNS & PRINT LTD→ 15852828 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| COCODEC PVT LTD→ 11585844 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| COMBINED TEST SOLUTIONS LTD→ 09221117 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| COMPLETE COMBUSTION LIMITED→ 04133230 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| COMPLETE CONTROL SERVICES LONDON LIMITED→ 08156567 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| CORPORATE TYRES LTD→ 12473111 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| COSMEDIK GROUP LIMITED→ 16843950 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COTSWOLD ELECTROWORKS LIMITED→ 16580360 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COUGAR ACCIDENT REPAIR CENTRE LIMITED→ 03094940 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| COVALENCE PHARMA UK LTD→ 16150312 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CRAFTED HANDRAILS LIMITED→ 04744090 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1995-11-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC31020 — SIC 31020
Registered office
Unit 6 Foster Avenue
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU5 5TA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-05
Last: 2025-11-21
Officers (5 active · 6 resigned)
BIBBY, John Patrick→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2025-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HAYNES, John David→
Activedirector · ~41y · appointed 2025-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HAYNES, John Tony→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2025-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KAYSER, Tony John→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2025-12-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCGUIGAN, Patrick Joseph→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2022-11-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WEALL, Lindsey Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-11-27 · resigned 2022-11-21
WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1995-11-27 · resigned 1995-11-27
KAYSER, Tony John→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 2022-11-21 · resigned 2025-12-10
MCGUIGAN, Patrick Joseph→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2022-11-21 · resigned 2025-12-10
WEALL, Nicholas David→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 1995-11-27 · resigned 2022-11-21
WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1995-11-27 · resigned 1995-11-27
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Pub 1) | Deed of legal mortgage | 1 property | 20/01/2003 | — | |
| outstanding | Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ) | Debenture | 1 property | 15/01/2003 | — | |
| satisfied | Awd Awd Limited | Rent deposit deed | 1 property | 14/12/1995 | 03/04/2004 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (101 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-18
replacement-filing-of-director-appointment-with-name
officers · RP01AP01
2025-12-15
replacement-filing-of-director-appointment-with-name
officers · RP01AP01
2025-12-12
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-12-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-12-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-04
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-03-11
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-03-11
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-03-11
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-03-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-31