CHRIS AYRES LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2005-04-01➕AYRES, Johanna appointeddirector
- 2004-11-22🏢Company incorporatedAs CHRIS AYRES LIMITED
- 2004-11-22➕AYRES, Johanna appointedsecretary
- 2004-11-22➕AYRES, Christopher Charles appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +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 "AYRES" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Christopher Charles Ayres Individual · British · DOB 04/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 22/11/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
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