A J CARRINGTON & SONS LTD
🌳Matureactive
04519488 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-27
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
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£1.38M
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Based in Haverfordwest, this family-run business most likely operates road-based freight haulage as its primary activity, with a secondary involvement in food services, suggesting a combined transport and catering or food distribution operation serving the local and regional Welsh market.
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 56290Other food services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
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, 2 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 (2 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
67 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
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
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,383,332
Net assets shrinking
Down £505 YoY
Cash YoY
+40%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£286k
↑ 40% YoY
Net Worth
£1.4m
~ YoY
Current Assets
£1.6m
↑ 7.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.45M | £1.44M |
| Current assets | £1.63M | £1.51M |
| Cash | £286.4k | £204.0k |
| Debtors | £1.29M | £1.26M |
| Net assets | £1.38M | £1.38M |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-29📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-09-15📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2008-12-01➖CARRINGTON, Caroline Emily Mary resignedsecretary
- 2008-12-01➖CARRINGTON, Alan John resigneddirector
- 2008-12-01➖CARRINGTON, Caroline Emily Mary resigneddirector
- 2002-08-27🏢Company incorporatedAs A J CARRINGTON & SONS LTD
- 2002-08-27➕CARRINGTON, John Dawber appointeddirector
- 2002-08-27➕CARRINGTON, Thomas Dawber appointeddirector
- 2002-08-27➕CARRINGTON, Caroline Emily Mary appointedsecretary
- 2002-08-27➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-27➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-27➕CARRINGTON, Alan John appointeddirector
- 2002-08-27➕CARRINGTON, Caroline Emily Mary appointeddirector
- 2002-08-27➕INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-08-27➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
91/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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 "CARRINGTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Dawber Carrington Individual · Welsh · DOB 05/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 07/04/2016 |
Mr Thomas Dawber Carrington Individual · British · DOB 11/1974 · age 52 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · SA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST CHOICE TRANSPORT LTD→ 05325832 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| 2 IMPRESS TRAVEL LTD→ 10975875 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| A & M TAXIS AND MINIBUSES LIMITED→ 05327647 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| A AND N REMOVALS LIMITED→ 11358933 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A G CELAK LIMITED→ 14936374 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A J THOMAS TRANSPORT LTD→ 14737571 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A&M PRIVATE HIRE LIMITED→ 09093366 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ABBA CABS LTD→ 12091906 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABER PARC LTD→ 16260361 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABERTAWE TRAVEL LTD→ 15583656 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABW EXECUTIVE TRAVEL LTD→ 16648223 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AC JENKINS LIMITED→ 03838793 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-08-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Office, Solbury Mountain Farm
Solbury Dale Road
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA62 3SB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-10
Last: 2025-08-27
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
CARRINGTON, John Dawber→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2002-08-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARRINGTON, Thomas Dawber→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 2002-08-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CARRINGTON, Caroline Emily Mary→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2008-12-01
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2002-08-27
CARRINGTON, Alan John→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2008-12-01
CARRINGTON, Caroline Emily Mary→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2008-12-01
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2002-08-27
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (67 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-09-04