A & A.K. BUTTERWORTH LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
04027838 · ltd · incorporated 2000-07-06
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46240
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (58/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
9 connected companies via shared directors
72
Filing history
74 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.

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 (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-11-18
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  3. 2025-10-16
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  4. 2025-10-16
    📄
    legacy
    other · AGREEMENT2
  5. 2024-10-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-01-09
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  7. 2023-11-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-10-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-09-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-01-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-10-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-10-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2013-02-26
    ➕
    PICKFORD, Louise Amanda appointed
    secretary
  17. 2013-02-26
    ➖
    CLARKE, Harold John resigned
    secretary
  18. 2013-02-26
    ➖
    CLARKE, Harold John resigned
    director
  19. 2000-12-12
    ➕
    WOODWARD, John Anthony appointed
    director
  20. 2000-12-12
    ➖
    BUTTERWORTH, Anne Kathleen resigned
    secretary
  21. 2000-12-12
    ➕
    CLARKE, Harold John appointed
    secretary
  22. 2000-12-12
    ➖
    BUTTERWORTH, Alan resigned
    director
  23. 2000-12-12
    ➖
    BUTTERWORTH, Anne Kathleen resigned
    director
  24. 2000-12-12
    ➕
    CLARKE, Harold John appointed
    director
  25. 2000-07-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A & A.K. BUTTERWORTH LIMITED
  26. 2000-07-06
    ➕
    BUTTERWORTH, Robin James appointed
    director
  27. 2000-07-06
    ➕
    BUTTERWORTH, Anne Kathleen appointed
    secretary
  28. 2000-07-06
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 2000-07-06
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2000-07-06
    ➕
    BUTTERWORTH, Alan appointed
    director
  31. 2000-07-06
    ➕
    BUTTERWORTH, Anne Kathleen appointed
    director

Owner dependency

91/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BUTTERWORTH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

76/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • 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 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Anthony Woodward
Individual · British · DOB 03/1964 · age 62
——sig. influencesignificant influence06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated2000-07-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46240 — SIC 46240

Registered office

Unit B, Weir Lane
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR2 4AY

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-20
Last: 2025-07-06

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

PICKFORD, Louise Amanda→
secretary · appointed 2013-02-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUTTERWORTH, Robin James→
director · ~57y · appointed 2000-07-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOODWARD, John Anthony→
director · ~62y · appointed 2000-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUTTERWORTH, Anne Kathleen→
secretary · appointed 2000-07-06 · resigned 2000-12-12
Resigned
CLARKE, Harold John→
secretary · appointed 2000-12-12 · resigned 2013-02-26
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-07-06 · resigned 2000-07-06
Resigned
BUTTERWORTH, Alan→
director · ~84y · appointed 2000-07-06 · resigned 2000-12-12
Resigned
BUTTERWORTH, Anne Kathleen→
director · ~83y · appointed 2000-07-06 · resigned 2000-12-12
Resigned
CLARKE, Harold John→
director · ~79y · appointed 2000-12-12 · resigned 2013-02-26
Resigned

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

Recent filings (74 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2025-11-18
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2025-11-18
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2025-10-16
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2025-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-10-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-17
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-11-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2022-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2021-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2021-01-09