BUTCHERS ARMS LTD
💤Zombieactive
04918773 · ltd · incorporated 2003-10-02
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2025
Net worth
£111.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Public houses and bars
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 20.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 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
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £111,256
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£111k
↑ 18% YoY
Current Assets
£66k
↑ 51% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £129.9k | £119.7k |
| Current assets | £66.1k | £43.8k |
| Net assets | £111.3k | £94.2k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-03-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-03-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-06-30➕HAMPSON, Sophie Marie appointeddirector
- 2013-06-30➖WHITEHEAD, Craig resigneddirector
- 2007-10-24🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2006-02-17🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-10-10➕WHITEHEAD, Kelly appointedsecretary
- 2003-10-10➕WHITEHEAD, Craig appointeddirector
- 2003-10-03➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-10-03➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-10-02🏢Company incorporatedAs BUTCHERS ARMS LTD
- 2003-10-02➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-10-02➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Kelly Whitehead Individual · British · DOB 08/1974 · age 52 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/01/2017 |
Mrs Sophie Marie Hampson Individual · British · DOB 05/1991 · age 35 | 25–50% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Hospitality · CA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BARROW ACCOMMODATION LIMITED→ 15001789 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BECKSES CARAVAN PARK LIMITED→ 11129867 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BT & S INVESTMENTS LTD→ 16319713 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BUSH NOOK LTD→ 16137355 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CADDY'S FISH & CHIPS LTD→ 14749655 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CAFE CENTRAL CARLISLE LTD→ 11431411 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CAFE DELUXE 68 LIMITED→ 17051927 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAFE HNW LTD→ 13989412 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| CAFE TAJ WIGTON DELI LIMITED→ 14785091 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CAFEGUSTO LTD→ 13314690 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CAFETABLE LIMITED→ 05391100 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| CAL'S COFFEE LIMITED→ 09787329 · 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
Incorporated2003-10-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC56302 — Public houses and bars
Registered office
95 Crosby Street
Maryport
Cumbria
CA15 6JX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last: 2025-12-17
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
Active
HAMPSON, Sophie Marie→
Activedirector · ~35y · appointed 2013-06-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-10-02 · resigned 2003-10-03
WHITEHEAD, Craig→
Resigneddirector · ~49y · appointed 2003-10-10 · resigned 2013-06-30
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-10-02 · resigned 2003-10-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 24/10/2007 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 17/02/2006 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (62 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-24
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-01-04