ARENA CATERING LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03568629 · ltd · incorporated 1998-05-21
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other food services
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 25.9y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 25.9 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.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
12 officers (1 active, 12 linked, 6 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
90 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Oct 2023Oct 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-10-312023-10-31

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (44 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-07-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-08-08
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  3. 2024-05-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-11-28
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2023-07-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-07-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-03-10
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  9. 2020-03-05
    📄
    termination-secretary-company
    officers · TM02
  10. 2020-03-05
    📄
    termination-secretary-company
    officers · TM02
  11. 2020-03-04
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  12. 2020-03-03
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  13. 2020-03-03
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  14. 2020-03-03
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2020-03-03
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  16. 2020-03-03
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  17. 2020-01-27
    ➕
    FARMER, Robin Neil appointed
    director
  18. 2020-01-27
    ➖
    BURNETT, Janet Ann resigned
    secretary
  19. 2020-01-27
    ➖
    MAHER, Seamus resigned
    director
  20. 2020-01-27
    ➖
    STANCOMBE, Maurice Andrew resigned
    director
  21. 2019-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  22. 2019-05-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  23. 2016-04-06
    ➕
    MAHER, Seamus appointed
    director
  24. 2010-11-18
    ➕
    BURNETT, Janet Ann appointed
    secretary
  25. 2010-11-18
    ➖
    STANCOMBE, Vikki Barbara resigned
    secretary
  26. 2010-11-18
    ➖
    STANCOMBE, Vikki Barbara resigned
    director
  27. 2004-02-23
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  28. 2000-07-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  29. 1999-10-28
    ➖
    AKEHURST, Sheila Beryl resigned
    secretary
  30. 1999-10-28
    ➕
    STANCOMBE, Vikki Barbara appointed
    secretary
  31. 1999-10-28
    ➖
    AKEHURST, Sheila Beryl resigned
    director
  32. 1999-10-28
    ➖
    PENNELLS, Laurence James Edward resigned
    director
  33. 1999-10-28
    ➕
    STANCOMBE, Maurice Andrew appointed
    director
  34. 1999-10-28
    ➕
    STANCOMBE, Vikki Barbara appointed
    director
  35. 1998-09-28
    ➕
    AKEHURST, Sheila Beryl appointed
    secretary
  36. 1998-09-28
    ➖
    SISEC LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 1998-09-28
    ➕
    AKEHURST, Sheila Beryl appointed
    director
  38. 1998-09-28
    ➕
    PENNELLS, Laurence James Edward appointed
    director
  39. 1998-09-28
    ➖
    LOVITING LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  40. 1998-09-28
    ➖
    SERJEANTS' INN NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  41. 1998-05-21
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ARENA CATERING LIMITED
  42. 1998-05-21
    ➕
    SISEC LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  43. 1998-05-21
    ➕
    LOVITING LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  44. 1998-05-21
    ➕
    SERJEANTS' INN NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Robin Neil Farmer
Individual · British · DOB 03/1967 · age 59
75–100%
—75-100% shares27/01/2020
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Maurice Stancombeceased 27/01/2020· 75-100% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1998-05-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC56290 — Other food services

Registered office

109 Bennetts Road
Horsham
RH13 5JY
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-13
Last: 2025-11-29

Officers (1 active · 11 resigned)

FARMER, Robin Neil→
director · ~59y · appointed 2020-01-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
AKEHURST, Sheila Beryl→
secretary · appointed 1998-09-28 · resigned 1999-10-28
Resigned
BURNETT, Janet Ann→
secretary · appointed 2010-11-18 · resigned 2020-01-27
Resigned
STANCOMBE, Vikki Barbara→
secretary · appointed 1999-10-28 · resigned 2010-11-18
Resigned
SISEC LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-05-21 · resigned 1998-09-28
Resigned
AKEHURST, Sheila Beryl→
director · ~97y · appointed 1998-09-28 · resigned 1999-10-28
Resigned
MAHER, Seamus→
director · ~68y · appointed 2016-04-06 · resigned 2020-01-27
Resigned
PENNELLS, Laurence James Edward→
director · ~91y · appointed 1998-09-28 · resigned 1999-10-28
Resigned
STANCOMBE, Maurice Andrew→
director · ~67y · appointed 1999-10-28 · resigned 2020-01-27
Resigned
STANCOMBE, Vikki Barbara→
director · ~68y · appointed 1999-10-28 · resigned 2010-11-18
Resigned
LOVITING LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-05-21 · resigned 1998-09-28
Resigned
SERJEANTS' INN NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-05-21 · resigned 1998-09-28
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property27/07/200023/02/2004

Recent filings (90 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-03
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-08
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-07
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2020-03-10
termination-secretary-company
officers · TM02
2020-03-05