ARTHUR COCK AND SONS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04521247 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-29
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 19.3y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2026
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 19.3y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 19.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2026-03-30 | 2025-03-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 6 | 500 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-09-11📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-09-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-02📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2022-03-01📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2022-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-16📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-11-08➕SUTTON, Kay Louise appointeddirector
- 2021-10-18📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-10-18📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-03-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-02➖SUTTON, Michael Anthony resigneddirector
- 2020-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-28📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2018-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-04-20➕SUTTON, Daniel Michael appointedsecretary
- 2007-04-20➕SUTTON, Daniel Michael appointeddirector
- 2007-04-20➖COCK, Anne Beryl resignedsecretary
- 2007-04-20➖COCK, Anne Beryl resigneddirector
- 2007-04-20➖COCK, Martin Arthur resigneddirector
- 2007-04-20➕SUTTON, Michael Anthony appointeddirector
- 2007-04-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2002-08-29🏢Company incorporatedAs ARTHUR COCK AND SONS LIMITED
- 2002-08-29➕COCK, Anne Beryl appointedsecretary
- 2002-08-29➕COCK, Anne Beryl appointeddirector
- 2002-08-29➕COCK, Martin Arthur appointeddirector
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
59/100
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.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Kay Louise Sutton Individual · British · DOB 06/1976 · age 50 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 05/09/2024 |
Mr Daniel Michael Sutton Individual · British · DOB 01/1977 · age 49 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 29/08/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Michael Anthony Suttonceased 02/11/2020· 50-75% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP RETAIL LTD→ 12298175 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ANGLING ESSENTIALS LIMITED→ 15250252 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ANUTRA RETAIL HUB LTD→ 16862420 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARCHER DISTRIBUTION LIMITED→ 08694855 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ARJUN TRADERS LIMITED→ 11084262 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ARMZ-2024 LIMITED→ 15654724 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AROOJANA RETAILS LTD→ 15578665 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARSLAN ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ 16919949 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARTESEAL LTD→ 15370835 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARUL RETAIL LIMITED→ 15470797 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASHLEY CLOTHING LIMITED→ 07369434 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ASPERULA LIMITED→ 05359724 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-08-29
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47220 — Retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores
Registered office
7 Newpots Close
Peldon
Colchester
CO5 7PP
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-30
Last made up to: 2026-03-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-19
Last: 2025-09-05
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
SUTTON, Daniel Michael→
Activesecretary · appointed 2007-04-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SUTTON, Daniel Michael→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2007-04-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SUTTON, Kay Louise→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2021-11-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COCK, Anne Beryl→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-08-29 · resigned 2007-04-20
COCK, Anne Beryl→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 2002-08-29 · resigned 2007-04-20
COCK, Martin Arthur→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2002-08-29 · resigned 2007-04-20
SUTTON, Michael Anthony→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2007-04-20 · resigned 2020-11-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/04/2007 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (72 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-07-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-11
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-09-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-25
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-03-02
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-02-26