BARRY DOUGLAS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
07750879 · ltd · incorporated 2011-08-24
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
—
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Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Performing arts
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (55/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
37 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (18 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-08-26
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2022-08-26
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  6. 2022-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-08-18
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  8. 2021-08-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-08-10
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  10. 2020-11-02
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2020-09-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-11-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  14. 2018-06-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2011-09-22
    ➕
    DOUGLAS, Deirdre Andrea appointed
    director
  17. 2011-08-24
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BARRY DOUGLAS LIMITED
  18. 2011-08-24
    ➕
    DOUGLAS, William Barry 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 "DOUGLAS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 15 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

69/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr William Barry Douglas
Individual · Irish · DOB 04/1960 · age 66
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control30/06/2016
Mrs Deirdre Andrea Douglas
Individual · Irish · DOB 02/1963 · age 63
25–50%
25–50%board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control30/06/2016

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

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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 →
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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.

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Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2011-08-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC90010 — Performing arts

Registered office

2nd Floor, North Wing East, City House
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 1RE
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-07
Last: 2025-08-24

Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)

DOUGLAS, Deirdre Andrea→
director · ~63y · appointed 2011-09-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DOUGLAS, William Barry→
director · ~66y · appointed 2011-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Recent filings (37 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-24
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2021-08-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-17
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2021-08-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-11-02