4 SEASONS DESIGN LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
04568034 · ltd · incorporated 2002-10-21
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 22.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£172.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Specialised design activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 22.8y

70/100
ready

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 23/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (3 active, 10 linked, 7 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
93 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
69
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £171,983

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£172k
↑ 22% YoY
Current Assets
£403k
↓ 7.4% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£87k£174k£261k£348k£435kOct 2023Oct 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2024-10-312023-10-31
Total assets£203.3k£178.7k
Current assets£402.5k£434.9k
Net assets£172.0k£141.2k

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
5
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 2 mortgage
  • • 1 officers
Last 180 days
5
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 2 mortgage
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (46 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-05-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2026-04-30
    ➖
    ROBINSON, Dean resigned
    director
  3. 2026-04-29
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  4. 2026-04-29
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  5. 2026-04-28
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  6. 2026-04-28
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  7. 2026-04-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  8. 2026-04-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  9. 2025-09-19
    ➕
    DIXON, David appointed
    director
  10. 2025-09-19
    ➕
    DIXON, Terence appointed
    director
  11. 2025-09-19
    ➕
    ROBINSON, Dean appointed
    director
  12. 2025-09-19
    ➖
    SANDFORD, Ian Mark resigned
    director
  13. 2025-09-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2025-09-19
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  15. 2025-09-19
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  16. 2025-09-19
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  17. 2025-09-18
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  18. 2025-09-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  19. 2025-09-15
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  20. 2025-08-20
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  21. 2025-08-20
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  22. 2025-08-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Sandford Holdings (UK) Limited
  23. 2025-08-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Sandford Holdings (UK) Limited
  24. 2025-07-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  25. 2025-06-30
    ➖
    FOX, Donna resigned
    director
  26. 2025-06-30
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  27. 2024-07-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  28. 2023-07-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  29. 2023-05-22
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  30. 2023-04-19
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  31. 2023-04-19
    📄
    capital-name-of-class-of-shares
    capital · SH08
  32. 2023-04-19
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  33. 2023-04-18
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  34. 2023-03-30
    ➕
    FOX, Donna appointed
    director
  35. 2009-12-09
    ➖
    ARMITAGE, Georgina Dawn resigned
    secretary
  36. 2006-01-01
    ➕
    CONNELL, Steven appointed
    director
  37. 2004-01-01
    ➖
    TAYLOR, Simon resigned
    director
  38. 2003-09-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  39. 2002-10-21
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As 4 SEASONS DESIGN LIMITED
  40. 2002-10-21
    ➕
    ARMITAGE, Georgina Dawn appointed
    secretary
  41. 2002-10-21
    ➕
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  42. 2002-10-21
    ➖
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  43. 2002-10-21
    ➕
    SANDFORD, Ian Mark appointed
    director
  44. 2002-10-21
    ➕
    TAYLOR, Simon appointed
    director
  45. 2002-10-21
    ➕
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  46. 2002-10-21
    ➖
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
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
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

70/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

2 med ·
3 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: FOX, Donna resigned 2025-06-30; ROBINSON, Dean resigned 2026-04-30; SANDFORD, Ian Mark resigned 2025-09-19

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

Hartley & Co Holdings Limited holds majority control (50-75%). Likely parent but not wholly-owned.

🏛️
Hartley & Co Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 50-75% shares
majority
⬇
4 SEASONS DESIGN LIMITED
This company · 04568034

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Hartley & Co Holdings Limited
Corporate entity
50–75%
50–75%50-75% shares · 50-75% voting19/09/2025
Mr Steven Connell
Individual · British · DOB 05/1968 · age 58
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Sandford Holdings (Uk) Limitedceased 19/09/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
  • Mr Ian Mark Sandfordceased 19/10/2021· significant influence · firm interest
  • Mrs Sarah Clare Sandfordceased 05/11/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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 SIC74100 — Specialised design activities

Registered office

149 Street Lane
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS8 1AA

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-30
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-01
Last: 2025-10-18

Officers (3 active · 7 resigned)

CONNELL, Steven→
director · ~58y · appointed 2006-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DIXON, David→
director · ~61y · appointed 2025-09-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DIXON, Terence→
director · ~68y · appointed 2025-09-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ARMITAGE, Georgina Dawn→
secretary · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2009-12-09
Resigned
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2002-10-21
Resigned
FOX, Donna→
director · ~42y · appointed 2023-03-30 · resigned 2025-06-30
Resigned
ROBINSON, Dean→
director · ~39y · appointed 2025-09-19 · resigned 2026-04-30
Resigned
SANDFORD, Ian Mark→
director · ~61y · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2025-09-19
Resigned
TAYLOR, Simon→
director · ~75y · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2004-01-01
Resigned
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-10-21 · resigned 2002-10-21
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Sandford Holdings (UK)
Sandford Holdings (UK) Limited
A registered charge—02/08/202528/04/2026
satisfied
Sandford Holdings (UK)
Sandford Holdings (UK) Limited
A registered charge—02/08/202528/04/2026
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property01/09/200318/09/2025

Recent filings (93 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-05-13
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2026-04-29
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-04-29
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-04-28
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-22
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-09-19
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-09-19
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-09-19
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-09-19
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-09-18
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-09-15
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-08-20
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-08-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-23