IAN FIRTH HOLDINGS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
06738644 · ltd · incorporated 2008-10-31
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 78-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 78). 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

7 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 17.0y

35/100
too messy

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 17.0 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 (72/100)

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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
67 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.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-12-31
Average employees200

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (39 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-07-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-09
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  3. 2024-10-29
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  4. 2024-10-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  5. 2024-07-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-12-14
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2023-12-14
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2023-12-14
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  9. 2023-10-30
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2023-10-30
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2023-10-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  12. 2023-10-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  13. 2023-07-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-group
    accounts · AA
  14. 2022-11-23
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  15. 2022-11-23
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  16. 2022-05-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  17. 2022-05-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2022-05-16
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  19. 2022-04-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-group
    accounts · AA
  20. 2021-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-group
    accounts · AA
  21. 2020-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-group
    accounts · AA
  22. 2019-11-04
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  23. 2019-11-04
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  24. 2019-11-01
    ➕
    BEARDSMORE, Lee appointed
    director
  25. 2019-11-01
    ➖
    BEARDSMORE, Lee resigned
    director
  26. 2014-10-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Close Brothers LTD (The "Security Trustee")
  27. 2014-06-20
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  28. 2014-06-20
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  29. 2014-06-20
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  30. 2014-02-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited
  31. 2013-04-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
  32. 2013-03-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
  33. 2009-08-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  34. 2009-08-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  35. 2009-05-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  36. 2008-10-31
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As IAN FIRTH HOLDINGS LIMITED
  37. 2008-10-31
    ➕
    FIRTH, Bernice Bedford appointed
    secretary
  38. 2008-10-31
    ➕
    FIRTH, Bernice Bedford appointed
    director
  39. 2008-10-31
    ➕
    FIRTH, Ian appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +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 "FIRTH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

89/100
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 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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.

Group structure

Lady Ann Estates (Leeds) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Lady Ann Estates (Leeds) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
IAN FIRTH HOLDINGS LIMITED
This company · 06738644

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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Lady Ann Estates (Leeds) Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting14/12/2023
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mrs Bernice Bedford Firthceased 14/12/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
  • Mr Ian Firthceased 14/12/2023· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting

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
Incorporated2008-10-31
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices

Registered office

Hillcrest House Low Moor Side Lane
New Farnley
Leeds
LS12 5HY
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-12
Last: 2025-10-29

Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)

FIRTH, Bernice Bedford→
secretary · appointed 2008-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FIRTH, Bernice Bedford→
director · ~77y · appointed 2008-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FIRTH, Ian→
director · ~78y · appointed 2008-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BEARDSMORE, Lee→
director · ~57y · appointed 2019-11-01 · resigned 2019-11-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Close Brothers
Close Brothers LTD (The "Security Trustee")
A registered charge—31/10/201429/10/2024
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited
A registered charge2 properties28/02/201423/11/2022
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
Debenture deed1 property02/04/201330/10/2023
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
Mortgage1 property19/03/201330/10/2023
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge2 properties06/08/200920/06/2014
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property06/08/200920/06/2014
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee & debenture1 property08/05/200920/06/2014

Recent filings (67 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-01
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-01-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-31
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2024-07-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-12-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-12-14
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2023-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-10-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2023-07-14
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-11-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-16