APPLETONS OF CARLISLE LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
04873293 · ltd · incorporated 2003-08-20
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 22.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Aug 2025
Net worth
£108.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 45200SIC 45200
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 22.7y

70/100
ready

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.7 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
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
68 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £108,658
Net assets shrinking
Down £21,798 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£109k
↓ 17% YoY
Current Assets
£125k
↓ 15% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£29k£59k£88k£117k£147kAug 2024Aug 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-08-312024-08-31
Total assets£120.6k£151.6k
Current assets£124.9k£146.7k
Net assets£108.7k£130.5k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

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 (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-10-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-12-13
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  9. 2018-11-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-02-01
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  11. 2018-01-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-03-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-08-28
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2011-10-31
    ➕
    APPLETON, Susan Debbie appointed
    director
  17. 2011-10-31
    ➖
    APPLETON, Michael resigned
    director
  18. 2011-07-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  19. 2010-06-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  20. 2006-03-24
    ➕
    APPLETON, Steven Michael appointed
    secretary
  21. 2006-03-24
    ➖
    PRESTON, Julie Mary resigned
    secretary
  22. 2003-09-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  23. 2003-08-28
    ➕
    APPLETON, Steven Michael appointed
    director
  24. 2003-08-28
    ➕
    PRESTON, Julie Mary appointed
    secretary
  25. 2003-08-28
    ➖
    YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2003-08-28
    ➕
    APPLETON, Michael appointed
    director
  27. 2003-08-28
    ➖
    YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 2003-08-20
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As APPLETONS OF CARLISLE LIMITED
  29. 2003-08-20
    ➕
    YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2003-08-20
    ➕
    YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-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 "APPLETON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — 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 58. Early succession window.
  • 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

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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Steven Michael Appleton
Individual · British · DOB 08/1969 · age 57
25–50%
25–50%board controlsig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · significant influence01/07/2016
Mrs Susan Debbie Appleton
Individual · British · DOB 04/1968 · age 58
25–50%
25–50%board controlsig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · significant influence01/07/2016

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

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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
Incorporated2003-08-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112

Registered office

6-11 King Street
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA1 1SJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-02
Last: 2025-08-19

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

APPLETON, Steven Michael→
secretary · appointed 2006-03-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
APPLETON, Steven Michael→
director · ~57y · appointed 2003-08-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
APPLETON, Susan Debbie→
director · ~58y · appointed 2011-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PRESTON, Julie Mary→
secretary · appointed 2003-08-28 · resigned 2006-03-24
Resigned
YORK PLACE COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-08-20 · resigned 2003-08-28
Resigned
APPLETON, Michael→
director · ~84y · appointed 2003-08-28 · resigned 2011-10-31
Resigned
YORK PLACE COMPANY NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-08-20 · resigned 2003-08-28
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property19/07/2011—
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property18/09/200314/06/2010
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (68 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-08-19
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2018-12-13