D.H. WILLIS & SONS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

04567876 · ltd · incorporated 2002-10-21

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 13.1y old — refinance window within 12 months

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Jan 2025

Net worth

£1.24M

book net assets

Opportunity

82/100

Exceptional

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 01420

Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

01610Support activities for crop production

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (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 (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 13.1y

70/100

ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

· Oldest live charge is 13.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
· Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)

Directors & officers

6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

Network not yet resolved

Filing history

68 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

82/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared

Positive net assets

Net assets £1,237,541

Cash YoY

-13%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£502k

↓ 13% YoY

Net Worth

£1.2m

~ YoY

Current Assets

£619k

↓ 13% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2025-01-31	2024-01-31
Total assets	£1.67M	£1.73M
Current assets	£619.1k	£709.8k
Cash	£502.0k	£574.8k
Debtors	£56.7k	£91.6k
Net assets	£1.24M	£1.23M

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand

2025-10-31
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-09-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2018-07-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2017-07-20
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2016-06-03
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-11-04
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-05-20
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2014-11-03
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date
annual-return · AR01
2014-05-21
📄
termination-secretary-company-with-name
officers · TM02
2014-05-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2014-04-29
➖
WILLIS, Janet Ann resigned
secretary
2013-06-25
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank)
2013-06-24
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)
2012-02-24
➖
WILLIS, Audrey Mary resigned
secretary
2012-02-24
➕
WILLIS, Janet Ann appointed
secretary
2012-02-24
➖
WILLIS, Audrey Mary resigned
director
2002-11-01
➕
WILLIS, Mark William appointed
director
2002-10-21
🏢
Company incorporated
As D.H. WILLIS & SONS LIMITED
2002-10-21
➕
WILLIS, Timothy David appointed
director
2002-10-21
➕
WILLIS, Audrey Mary appointed
secretary
2002-10-21
➕
RWL REGISTRARS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2002-10-21
➖
RWL REGISTRARS LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2002-10-21
➕
WILLIS, Audrey Mary appointed
director

Owner dependency

99/100

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 "WILLIS" — 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.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

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 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

clean

No 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 Timothy David Willis Individual · British · DOB 02/1964 · age 62	25–50%	25–50%	board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control	06/04/2016
Mr Mark William Willis Individual · British · DOB 08/1966 · age 60	25–50%	25–50%	board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control	06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Agriculture · DL postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
BEE RESPONSIBLE LIMITED→ 11349831 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
BOLTON HALL LIVERY STABLES LIMITED→ 10525212 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	9y	—	—
CAMPHILL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED→ 08965995 · est 2014 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
D T DINSDALE & SON LIMITED→ 16866451 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
D. R. WISE LTD.→ 13249948 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
D. RICHARDSON & COMPANY LIMITED→ 02682387 · est 1992 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	34y	—	—
D.L. & P.R. PREST LIMITED→ 02599663 · est 1991 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	35y	—	—
D.W. FORESTRY LIMITED→ 07709768 · est 2011 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	14y	—	—
D&S SPENCE AND SON→ 16916374 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
DALES LAND MANAGEMENT LTD→ 11947923 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
DALESEND FARMS LIMITED→ 07958852 · est 2012 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	14y	—	—
DALFOR LIMITED→ 11282858 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—

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

Incorporated2002-10-21

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC01420 — SIC 01420

Registered office

Carrbeck House

Gilling West

Richmond

North Yorkshire

DL10 5LN

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-10-31

Last made up to: 2025-01-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-11-04

Last: 2025-10-21

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

WILLIS, Mark William→

director · ~60y · appointed 2002-11-01

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

WILLIS, Timothy David→

director · ~62y · appointed 2002-10-21

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

WILLIS, Audrey Mary→

secretary · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2012-02-24

Resigned

WILLIS, Janet Ann→

secretary · appointed 2012-02-24 · resigned 2014-04-29

Resigned

RWL REGISTRARS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2002-10-21

Resigned

WILLIS, Audrey Mary→

director · ~87y · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2012-02-24

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown

			Type	Properties
	outstanding	Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank)	A registered charge	1 property	25/06/2013	—
	outstanding	Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank)	A registered charge	1 property	24/06/2013	—

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.