DOUGLAS WILLIS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
05638730 · ltd · incorporated 2005-11-29
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
£1.90M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10130
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 80-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 20.3y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 20.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £1,900,914
Cash YoY
-10%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£445k
↓ 10% YoY
Net Worth
£1.9m
↑ 1.2% YoY
Current Assets
£2.2m
↑ 3.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£430k£861k£1.3m£1.7m£2.2mMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£1.98M£2.00M
Current assets£2.15M£2.08M
Cash£445.1k£497.0k
Debtors£1.31M£1.23M
Net assets£1.90M£1.88M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-11
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  6. 2021-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-11-09
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  8. 2021-11-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  9. 2021-02-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-02-26
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  12. 2019-02-26
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  13. 2019-02-26
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  14. 2019-02-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  15. 2019-02-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  16. 2019-02-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  17. 2018-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2017-12-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2016-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  20. 2010-06-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
  21. 2010-06-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
  22. 2006-02-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  23. 2005-12-12
    ➕
    WILLIS, Sean appointed
    secretary
  24. 2005-12-12
    ➕
    WILLIS, Angela Margaret appointed
    director
  25. 2005-12-12
    ➕
    WILLIS, David Lewis appointed
    director
  26. 2005-12-12
    ➕
    WILLIS, Sean appointed
    director
  27. 2005-12-12
    ➖
    CAXTON SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  28. 2005-12-12
    ➖
    CAXTON DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director
  29. 2005-11-29
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DOUGLAS WILLIS LIMITED
  30. 2005-11-29
    ➕
    CAXTON SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  31. 2005-11-29
    ➕
    CAXTON DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "WILLIS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr David Lewis Willis
Individual · British · DOB 07/1946 · age 80
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting29/11/2016

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

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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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
Incorporated2005-11-29
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10130 — SIC 10130

Registered office

5 Grange Industrial Estate
Cwmbran
Gwent
NP44 8HQ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-19
Last: 2025-07-05

Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)

WILLIS, Sean→
secretary · appointed 2005-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WILLIS, Angela Margaret→
director · ~78y · appointed 2005-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WILLIS, David Lewis→
director · ~80y · appointed 2005-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WILLIS, Sean→
director · ~58y · appointed 2005-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CAXTON SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2005-11-29 · resigned 2005-12-12
Resigned
CAXTON DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2005-11-29 · resigned 2005-12-12
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge—05/11/2021—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
All assets debenture1 property28/06/201026/02/2019
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
Debenture1 property17/06/201026/02/2019
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Debenture1 property05/02/200626/02/2019
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (66 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-11-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-19