ARCHWAY CARDS LTD

🌳Matureactive
03909293 · ltd · incorporated 2000-01-19
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£833.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 75). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
66 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 · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £833,792
Net assets shrinking
Down £165,314 YoY
Cash YoY
-6%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£332k
↓ 5.8% YoY
Net Worth
£834k
↓ 17% YoY
Current Assets
£1.0m
↓ 15% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£240k£479k£719k£958k£1.2mJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£843.0k£1.01M
Current assets£1.01M£1.20M
Cash£332.2k£352.7k
Debtors£190.2k£379.4k
Net assets£833.8k£999.1k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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 (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-09-01
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  8. 2021-08-31
    ➖
    HARRISON, Mark Vaughn resigned
    secretary
  9. 2021-08-31
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  10. 2021-08-31
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2019-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-11-01
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  13. 2018-11-01
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2018-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-04-21
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  16. 2018-04-10
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  17. 2018-04-06
    ➕
    BEEBY, Amy Julie appointed
    director
  18. 2018-04-06
    ➕
    BEEBY, Daniel Harry appointed
    director
  19. 2017-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2007-05-18
    ➖
    DYBALL, Christine Irene resigned
    secretary
  21. 2007-05-18
    ➕
    HARRISON, Mark Vaughn appointed
    secretary
  22. 2007-05-18
    ➖
    DYBALL, Christine Irene resigned
    director
  23. 2000-01-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ARCHWAY CARDS LTD
  24. 2000-01-19
    ➕
    DYBALL, Christopher Robert appointed
    director
  25. 2000-01-19
    ➕
    DYBALL, Christine Irene appointed
    secretary
  26. 2000-01-19
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 2000-01-19
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2000-01-19
    ➕
    DYBALL, Christine Irene appointed
    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
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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

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 Christopher Robert Dyball
Individual · English · DOB 01/1951 · age 75
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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
Incorporated2000-01-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade

Registered office

Conifers Low Street
Smallburgh
Norwich
NR12 9LR
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-21
Last: 2025-11-07

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

BEEBY, Amy Julie→
director · ~44y · appointed 2018-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BEEBY, Daniel Harry→
director · ~45y · appointed 2018-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DYBALL, Christopher Robert→
director · ~75y · appointed 2000-01-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DYBALL, Christine Irene→
secretary · appointed 2000-01-19 · resigned 2007-05-18
Resigned
HARRISON, Mark Vaughn→
secretary · appointed 2007-05-18 · resigned 2021-08-31
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-01-19 · resigned 2000-01-19
Resigned
DYBALL, Christine Irene→
director · ~72y · appointed 2000-01-19 · resigned 2007-05-18
Resigned

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

Recent filings (66 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-27
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-09-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-08-31
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-08-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-25