MERLOT DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
- · Oldest live charge 18.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 18.9y
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (61/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (48 events)Click to expand
- 2025-04-22📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2025-04-22🏁Company dissolved
- 2025-02-04📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2025-01-28📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2024-08-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-03📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-08-03📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-08-03📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-05-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2022-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-28📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2022-06-28📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2022-06-28📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2021-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-27📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2021-07-20📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2021-07-20📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2020-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-04📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2018-10-31➕HONEYMAN, David appointeddirector
- 2018-10-31➖SHELLEY, Miles Colin resigneddirector
- 2017-09-01➕WOTHERSPOON, Robert John William appointeddirector
- 2017-07-31➖BOLT, Andrew Reginald resigneddirector
- 2017-07-31➕SHELLEY, Miles Colin appointeddirector
- 2015-10-01➖SANDERS, Geoffrey Peter resigneddirector
- 2015-10-01➖THOMAS, Huw James resigneddirector
- 2014-03-27➖BRIANT, John Mark resigneddirector
- 2014-03-27➕THOMAS, Huw James appointeddirector
- 2013-06-26➕PEARSON, Kevin John appointedsecretary
- 2013-06-26➖WALKER, Robert Peter resignedsecretary
- 2007-06-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Abacus Developments Limited
- 2007-05-24➖WEEKLEY, Colin Bruce resigneddirector
- 2007-05-24➖WOTHERSPOON, Robert John William resigneddirector
- 2007-05-21➕BOLT, Andrew Reginald appointeddirector
- 2007-05-21➕BRIANT, John Mark appointeddirector
- 2007-05-21➕SANDERS, Geoffrey Peter appointeddirector
- 2007-03-31➖COLLARD, Michael John resigneddirector
- 2007-03-31➕WEEKLEY, Colin Bruce appointeddirector
- 2007-01-11🏢Company incorporatedAs MERLOT DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
- 2007-01-11➕WALKER, Robert Peter appointedsecretary
- 2007-01-11➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-01-11➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-01-11➕COLLARD, Michael John appointeddirector
- 2007-01-11➕WOTHERSPOON, Robert John William appointeddirector
- 2007-01-11➕INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-01-11➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high ·Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2025-04-22
Group structure
Abacus Developments Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abacus Developments Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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 (0 active · 11 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Abacus Developments Abacus Developments Limited | Legal charge | 1 property | 19/06/2007 | — |