1A DRAINFLOW (IOW) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04698135 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-14
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£9.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 78-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 78). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
62 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £9,855
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£10k
↑ 6697% YoY
Current Assets
£23k
↑ 410% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £21.0k | £145 |
| Current assets | £23.4k | £4.6k |
| Net assets | £9.9k | £145 |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-02📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2021-07-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-07-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-07-27📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC08
- 2021-05-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-05-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-03-24📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2003-04-17➕WILLIS, Paula appointedsecretary
- 2003-04-17➕WILLIS, John Richard appointeddirector
- 2003-04-17➕WILLIS, Paula appointeddirector
- 2003-04-17➖GARBETTS NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-04-17➖GARBETTS CONSULTING LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-03-14🏢Company incorporatedAs 1A DRAINFLOW (IOW) LIMITED
- 2003-03-14➕GARBETTS NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-14➕GARBETTS CONSULTING LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
91/100
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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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 John Richard Willis Individual · British · DOB 09/1948 · age 78 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 26/09/2016 |
Mrs Paula Willis Individual · British · DOB 06/1955 · age 71 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 02/09/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Trade services · PO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1122 LIMITED→ 10982973 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| 131 DESIGN LIMITED→ 06328117 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| 15 POWIS SQUARE BRIGHTON LIMITED→ 04411782 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| 1ST 4 SAFETY LTD→ 13832355 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 1ST CHOICE HIGH LEVEL CLEANING & MAINTENANCE LIMITED→ 05000805 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| 1ST GROUP LTD→ 06629425 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 1ST PENGUIN SHIPPING HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 13626839 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 1ST PENGUIN SHIPPING LIMITED→ 03382555 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| 1ST STRIKE LTD→ 14809800 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 1TO1 PARAPLANNING LTD→ 10658228 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 2 BELOVED LIMITED→ 13803758 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 2 START GROUP LIMITED→ 09601017 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-03-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Exchange House
St. Cross Lane
Newport
Isle Of Wight
PO30 5BZ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-24
Last: 2026-01-10
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
Active
WILLIS, John Richard→
Activedirector · ~78y · appointed 2003-04-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WILLIS, Paula→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2003-04-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GARBETTS NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-14 · resigned 2003-04-17
GARBETTS CONSULTING LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-03-14 · resigned 2003-04-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (62 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-10
withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
2021-11-02
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-07-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-07-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
persons-with-significant-control · PSC08
2021-07-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-05-09