1ST CHOICE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
07016285 · ltd · incorporated 2009-09-11
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£-16.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46130
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
51 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £16,687
Net assets shrinking
Down £64,157 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£1k
Net Worth
-£17k
↓ 135% YoY
Current Assets
£272k
↓ 16% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £13.2k | £10.0k |
| Current assets | £271.9k | £325.3k |
| Cash | £1.0k | — |
| Debtors | £249.7k | — |
| Net assets | £-16.7k | £47.5k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-12📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-18📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2018-07-17➕COSTELLO, Christopher appointeddirector
- 2018-05-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-02➖COSTELLO, Christopher James resigneddirector
- 2018-02-02📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-02-02📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-02-02📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-27➕COSTELLO, Christopher James appointeddirector
- 2016-03-02➖COSTELLO, Christopher James resigneddirector
- 2009-09-11🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST CHOICE LIMITED
- 2009-09-11➕COSTELLO, William Michael appointedsecretary
- 2009-09-11➕COSTELLO, William Michael appointeddirector
- 2009-09-11➕COSTELLO, Christopher James appointeddirector
Owner dependency
91/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — 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 candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 70 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 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr William Michael Costello Individual · British · DOB 06/1956 · age 70 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 11/09/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Christopher James Costelloceased 31/12/2017· 25-50% shares
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 · L postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165LOGIC LIMITED→ 11827651 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 1ST CHOICE CONCRETE AND SKIP HIRE LIMITED→ 03757761 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| 1ST CHOICE RECYCLING LTD→ 12188796 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 222 PROSECCO LTD→ 16838810 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2THELIFE LIMITED→ 15841416 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 2TX LTD→ 15633186 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 4 CORNERS LIVERPOOL LTD→ 15729822 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 440ME COMPANY LIMITED→ 15241116 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 456 TRADING LTD→ 15344941 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 528 INTERNATIONAL T/A MBM LIMITED→ 12270082 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 80S CASUALS LIMITED→ 06332316 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| 818 INTERNATIONAL TA PA COSMETICS LIMITED→ 17099673 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2009-09-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46130 — SIC 46130
Registered office
4/6 Forth Street
Liverpool
L20 8JJ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-16
Last: 2026-02-02
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
COSTELLO, William Michael→
Activesecretary · appointed 2009-09-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COSTELLO, Christopher→
Activedirector · ~40y · appointed 2018-07-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COSTELLO, William Michael→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2009-09-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COSTELLO, Christopher James→
Resigneddirector · ~40y · appointed 2016-07-27 · resigned 2018-02-02
COSTELLO, Christopher James→
Resigneddirector · ~40y · appointed 2009-09-11 · resigned 2016-03-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (51 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-25
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2022-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-10-25