ASCO FOODS LIMITED
📉Decliningactive
04095454 · ltd · incorporated 2000-10-24
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
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
- · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
- · Currently "declining"
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
£41.05M
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 46342SIC 46342
- 46390Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (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: strategic trade sale (78/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
7 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 24.9y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (4 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
4 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
83 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Profitable
Profit before tax £2,873,923
Turnover YoY
-3%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £41.05M | £42.16M |
| Gross profit | £10.54M | £12.89M |
| Operating profit | £3.21M | £7.09M |
| Profit before tax | £2.87M | £6.87M |
| Average employees | 4200 | 3500 |
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 (40 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-12📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2023-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-08-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-05-31🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2014-05-31🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2014-05-31🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2012-09-15🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2012-09-15🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2012-08-31🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2012-08-30🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2005-01-20🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Syndicate Bank
- 2005-01-20🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Syndicate Bank
- 2005-01-12➕CHADHA, Sundeep Singh appointedsecretary
- 2005-01-12➕CHADHA, Arshdeep Singh appointeddirector
- 2005-01-12➕CHADHA, Sundeep Singh appointeddirector
- 2005-01-12➖CHADHA, Ravneet Singh resignedsecretary
- 2004-04-30➖CHADHA, Harpreet Singh resigneddirector
- 2002-06-10🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Syndicate Bank
- 2001-10-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2001-08-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2000-11-23➕CHADHA, Ravneet Singh appointeddirector
- 2000-11-23➕CHADHA, Ravneet Singh appointedsecretary
- 2000-11-23➖LAWSON (LONDON) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-11-23➕CHADHA, Harpreet Singh appointeddirector
- 2000-11-23➖ACRE (CORPORATE DIRECTOR) LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 2000-10-24🏢Company incorporatedAs ASCO FOODS LIMITED
- 2000-10-24➕LAWSON (LONDON) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2000-10-24➕ACRE (CORPORATE DIRECTOR) LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
68/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
60/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- 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
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
Credit Suisse Group Ag holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.
🏛️
Credit Suisse Group Ag
Corporate parent
⬇
ASCO FOODS LIMITED
This company · 04095454
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
4 active beneficial owners · fragmented| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Sundeep Singh Chadha Individual · British · DOB 04/1974 · age 52 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Arshdeep Singh Chadha Individual · British · DOB 05/1980 · age 46 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Ravneet Singh Chadha Individual · British · DOB 06/1970 · age 56 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
Credit Suisse Group Ag Corporate entity | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence · trust interest | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · HP postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMA-I LTD→ 15129511 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| APPLIED HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 12577173 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AREVNA LIMITED→ 11407187 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ASHWORTH AVIATION LIMITED→ 13601886 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ASIAN DELIGHTS LTD→ 10540835 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ASPECT OFFICE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 05069056 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ASSET LTD→ 04686054 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ASTLES ELECTRICAL WHOLESALERS LTD→ 15117743 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ATSAS CREATION INTERNATIONAL LTD→ 14578068 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ATSD ZEYYL LTD→ 16555943 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AURASYNC LIMITED→ 16284052 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AUSCAN HEALTHFOODS LTD→ 15365818 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2000-10-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46310 — Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Registered office
Units 7 & 8
Amersham Commercial Park Raans Road
Amersham
Bucks
HP6 6JY
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-07
Last: 2025-10-24
Officers (4 active · 4 resigned)
CHADHA, Sundeep Singh→
Activesecretary · appointed 2005-01-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHADHA, Arshdeep Singh→
Activedirector · ~46y · appointed 2005-01-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHADHA, Ravneet Singh→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2000-11-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHADHA, Sundeep Singh→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 2005-01-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHADHA, Ravneet Singh→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-11-23 · resigned 2005-01-12
LAWSON (LONDON) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-10-24 · resigned 2000-11-23
CHADHA, Harpreet Singh→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2000-11-23 · resigned 2004-04-30
ACRE (CORPORATE DIRECTOR) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2000-10-24 · resigned 2000-11-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
7
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 31/08/2012 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 30/08/2012 | — | |
| satisfied | Syndicate Bank | Debenture | 1 property | 20/01/2005 | 31/05/2014 | |
| satisfied | Syndicate Bank | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/01/2005 | 31/05/2014 | |
| satisfied | Syndicate Bank | Legal charge | 2 properties | 10/06/2002 | 15/09/2012 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 05/10/2001 | 15/09/2012 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Deed of charge over credit balances | 1 property | 16/08/2001 | 31/05/2014 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (83 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-23
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AAMD
2023-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-07-25