COWENS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
03790634 · ltd · incorporated 1999-06-16
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 8.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 13950
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 8.2y

85/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 8.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
81 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
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£0Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Average employees121200

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (34 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-26
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  2. 2025-09-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-06-18
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2025-06-05
    ➖
    NIXON, John Lee resigned
    director
  5. 2024-11-14
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  6. 2024-11-14
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2024-11-14
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  8. 2024-10-28
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  9. 2024-10-25
    ➕
    COULTHARD, William Tobias appointed
    director
  10. 2024-09-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2023-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2022-07-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-07-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2020-09-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-08-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-06-25
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  18. 2018-06-25
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  19. 2018-03-19
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  20. 2018-03-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  21. 2016-11-30
    ➖
    TRIMBLE, David William resigned
    director
  22. 2008-01-01
    ➕
    NIXON, John Lee appointed
    director
  23. 2008-01-01
    ➕
    TRIMBLE, David William appointed
    director
  24. 2003-09-30
    ➕
    COULTHARD, Andrea Gail appointed
    secretary
  25. 2003-09-30
    ➖
    COULTHARD, Jonathan Robert resigned
    secretary
  26. 2003-09-30
    ➖
    TRIMBLE, David William resigned
    director
  27. 1999-06-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As COWENS LIMITED
  28. 1999-06-16
    ➕
    COULTHARD, Jonathan Robert appointed
    director
  29. 1999-06-16
    ➕
    COULTHARD, Jonathan Robert appointed
    secretary
  30. 1999-06-16
    ➕
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  31. 1999-06-16
    ➖
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 1999-06-16
    ➕
    TRIMBLE, David William appointed
    director
  33. 1999-06-16
    ➕
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  34. 1999-06-16
    ➖
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

84/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

26/100
Weak signal

Limited succession signal. Not a near-term off-market candidate.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — COULTHARD, William Tobias (same surname) appointed 2024-10-25. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

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

Group structure

Northern Tarn Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Northern Tarn Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
COWENS LIMITED
This company · 03790634

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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Northern Tarn Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control25/10/2024
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr Jonathan Robert Coulthardceased 25/10/2024· 25-50% shares
  • Mrs Andrea Gail Coulthardceased 25/10/2024· 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 · CA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ANDREW LOWDEN PLANT & AGRICULTURAL REPAIRS LTD→
07191225 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————16y——
ANGUILLA SOLUTIONS LIMITED→
04721337 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
————23y——
BETTER TOMORROW BRANDS LTD→
14863984 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
BORDER OFFSET LIMITED→
01451674 · est 1979 · no financials extracted
————46y——
BUD DESIGNS LIMITED→
15013111 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
CANDLE BOYS LTD→
12898152 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
CARLISLE REFRIGERATION (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→
07229383 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————15y——
CG SERVICES LIMITED→
09466667 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————11y——
CLASSIC RESTORATION AND REPAIR LTD→
12041424 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
CONTRAST KITCHENS LIMITED→
05943002 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————19y——
COULTHARDS CONCRETE PRODUCTS (1980) LIMITED→
01521887 · est 1980 · no financials extracted
————45y——
CRAWFORD ENERGY RESOURCES LIMITED→
08419502 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————13y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated1999-06-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC13950 — SIC 13950

Registered office

Ellers Mill
Dalston
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA5 7QJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-22
Last: 2026-04-08

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

COULTHARD, Andrea Gail→
secretary · appointed 2003-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COULTHARD, Jonathan Robert→
director · ~62y · appointed 1999-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COULTHARD, William Tobias→
director · ~29y · appointed 2024-10-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COULTHARD, Jonathan Robert→
secretary · appointed 1999-06-16 · resigned 2003-09-30
Resigned
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-06-16 · resigned 1999-06-16
Resigned
NIXON, John Lee→
director · ~78y · appointed 2008-01-01 · resigned 2025-06-05
Resigned
TRIMBLE, David William→
director · ~87y · appointed 2008-01-01 · resigned 2016-11-30
Resigned
TRIMBLE, David William→
director · ~87y · appointed 1999-06-16 · resigned 2003-09-30
Resigned
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-06-16 · resigned 1999-06-16
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
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property13/03/201825/06/2018

Recent filings (81 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2025-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2025-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-18
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-06-18
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-11-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-11-14
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2024-11-14
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-10-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2022-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-06