BEST FOODS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04527390 · ltd · incorporated 2002-09-05
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 46320Wholesale of meat and meat products
- 46900Non-specialised wholesale trade
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (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: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 20.7y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: low (54/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (1 active, 9 linked, 5 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
99 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (37 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-03📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2025-02-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-01-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-01-15➖SYKES, Robert John resigneddirector
- 2024-01-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-27📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-22📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-08-17📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2021-06-30➖HINCHLIFFE, Stuart resigneddirector
- 2021-06-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-04📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-01-20➕SYKES, Robert John appointeddirector
- 2021-01-20📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-07-17📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2020-07-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-29📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2018-04-10➕HINCHLIFFE, Stuart appointeddirector
- 2008-09-01➖PAYDAY BUREAU LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2005-11-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2005-09-20➖COUNTY WEST SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2005-09-20➕PAYDAY BUREAU LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2003-11-28➖HARSZ, Hubert resigneddirector
- 2003-03-05➖KOWALCZYK, Katarzyna resigneddirector
- 2003-01-29➕SZWED, Radomir appointeddirector
- 2002-09-05🏢Company incorporatedAs BEST FOODS LIMITED
- 2002-09-05➕MANLEY, Paul James appointedsecretary
- 2002-09-05➖MANLEY, Paul James resignedsecretary
- 2002-09-05➕COUNTY WEST SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2002-09-05➕HARSZ, Hubert appointeddirector
- 2002-09-05➕KOWALCZYK, Katarzyna appointeddirector
- 2002-09-05➕COUNTY WEST COMMERCIAL SERVICES LTD appointedcorporate-director
- 2002-09-05➖COUNTY WEST COMMERCIAL SERVICES LTD resignedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
85/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Radomir Szwed Individual · Polish,British · DOB 01/1977 · age 49 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Radomir Szwed Individual · Polish · DOB 01/1977 · age 49 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AETHA LTD→ 12888122 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AILISEN LIMITED→ 16841741 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALAMI INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ 01149214 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| AMERICAN DRINKS LIMITED→ 05011775 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| BEAUTY&VITALITY LIMITED→ 11382521 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BELGRAVIA PHARMA LTD→ 14913834 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BERGAMOT & WELLS LTD→ 13773614 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BEVERIX LTD.→ 14094625 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BEWOWHEALTHCARE LIMITED→ 15383436 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BHATIA OVERSEAS LIMITED→ 09359520 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| BIG DILL CATERING LIMITED→ 15562610 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BIN'AUF LIMITED→ 11181582 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-09-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46310 — Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Registered office
Annables Farm
Annables Lane
Harpenden
AL5 3PR
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-19
Last: 2025-09-05
Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)
SZWED, Radomir→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2003-01-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MANLEY, Paul James→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-09-05 · resigned 2002-09-05
COUNTY WEST SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2002-09-05 · resigned 2005-09-20
PAYDAY BUREAU LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2005-09-20 · resigned 2008-09-01
HARSZ, Hubert→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 2002-09-05 · resigned 2003-11-28
HINCHLIFFE, Stuart→
Resigneddirector · ~52y · appointed 2018-04-10 · resigned 2021-06-30
KOWALCZYK, Katarzyna→
Resigneddirector · ~50y · appointed 2002-09-05 · resigned 2003-03-05
SYKES, Robert John→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2021-01-20 · resigned 2024-01-15
COUNTY WEST COMMERCIAL SERVICES LTD→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2002-09-05 · resigned 2002-09-05
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 | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 08/11/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (99 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-08
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2025-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-09
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-01-18
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-01-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-29
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2023-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-06
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-13