B. & A. DESIGN & MANUFACTURE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04620035 · ltd · incorporated 2002-12-17
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 23.5y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of other furniture
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 23.5y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · 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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
65 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1300 | 1300 |
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 (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-09-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-03-31📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2021-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-12-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2004-12-24🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-05-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) Limited
- 2003-01-10🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2002-12-17🏢Company incorporatedAs B. & A. DESIGN & MANUFACTURE LIMITED
- 2002-12-17➕HARROP, Billie appointedsecretary
- 2002-12-17➕HARROP, Anthony John appointeddirector
- 2002-12-17➕HARROP, Billie appointeddirector
- 2002-12-17➕RWL REGISTRARS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-12-17➖RWL REGISTRARS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
84/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — 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 candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. 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
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 Anthony John Harrop Individual · British · DOB 12/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Billie Harrop Individual · British · DOB 09/1966 · age 60 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · DL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AYCLIFFE FABRICATIONS LIMITED→ 04310888 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AYED LTD→ 12560905 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| B&B INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LTD→ 13753968 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BABY BIOGRAPHY LIMITED→ 08524749 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BAHN SPORTIVE LTD.→ 15340415 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BAKED STEEL LIMITED→ 14241609 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BALANCED SUPPORT REINS LTD→ 12351880 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BANNER CONTRACTS (HALNABY) LIMITED→ 02793182 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | — | — |
| BASOLITE LTD→ 13747344 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BATTERY POWER TECHNOLOGY LTD→ 04787082 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| BDE SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16495969 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BEANIE TOOLS LTD→ 08213982 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-12-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC31090 — Manufacture of other furniture
Registered office
St Helens Industrial Estate
Bishop Auckland
County Durham
DL14 9AD
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-07
Last: 2025-10-24
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
Active
HARROP, Anthony John→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2002-12-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HARROP, Billie→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2002-12-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RWL REGISTRARS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-12-17 · resigned 2002-12-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 24/12/2004 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) Limited | Fixed charge on purchased debts which fail to vest | 1 property | 13/05/2003 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 10/01/2003 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (65 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-24
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-09-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-09-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-04-01
withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
2022-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-22