EMPIRE DRINKS AND REFRIGERATION LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05851657 · ltd · incorporated 2006-06-20
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
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 Sept 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
53 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 30 | 2600 |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-02📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-03-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-03-28📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2017-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2012-06-08➖KEEPING THE BOOKS LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-10-01➕KEEPING THE BOOKS LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2006-06-20🏢Company incorporatedAs EMPIRE DRINKS AND REFRIGERATION LIMITED
- 2006-06-20➕SPENCER, Stephanie Diane appointedsecretary
- 2006-06-20➕SPENCER, Simon appointeddirector
- 2006-06-20➕SPENCER, Stephanie Diane appointeddirector
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
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 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
59/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
- 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Simon Spencer Individual · British · DOB 12/1970 · age 56 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 21/03/2017 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · LE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST CHOICE CATERING LTD→ 14334774 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 3M PALLETS LTD→ 11260222 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| 99 GLOBAL LIMITED→ 16195486 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A A HAULAGE LIMITED→ 03822296 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| A D HANDLING LIMITED→ 07921557 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AA SILK ROUTE IMPORTS & EXPORTS LTD→ 16625236 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AA SKY LTD→ 10635771 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AAAHUB LTD→ 13782551 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AADOR LTD→ 15005102 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AARSHI LTD→ 15645198 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AAT TRADE LIMITED→ 15754520 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABBEY FENCING & TIMBER SUPPLIES LTD→ 15565712 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-06-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46180 — Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products
Registered office
Unit B22b Sketchley Meadows
Burbage
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 3EN
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-04
Last: 2026-03-21
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
SPENCER, Stephanie Diane→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-06-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SPENCER, Simon→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2006-06-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SPENCER, Stephanie Diane→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2006-06-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KEEPING THE BOOKS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2009-10-01 · resigned 2012-06-08
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (53 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-01
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-07-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-31