DRAKES (UK) LTD.
🌳Matureactive
08170303 · ltd · incorporated 2012-08-07
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 Oct 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of other furniture
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
38 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.
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £162.7k |
| Current assets | — | £318.0k |
| Cash | — | £93.7k |
| Debtors | — | £170.3k |
| Net assets | — | £145.8k |
| Average employees | 1200 | — |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
3 signals 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
3
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 90 days
5
filings
- • 3 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
7
filings
- • 3 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-06-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-06-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-05-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-05-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-03-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-21📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-02-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-08-01➕BETTSON, Neil Andrew appointeddirector
- 2014-08-01➕DRAKE, John Andrew appointeddirector
- 2014-08-01➖FARRAR, Matthew John, Mr. resigneddirector
- 2012-08-07🏢Company incorporatedAs DRAKES (UK) LTD.
- 2012-08-07➕FARRAR, Matthew John, Mr. appointeddirector
Owner dependency
88/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DRAKE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
71/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
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.
- 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 John Andrew Drake Individual · British · DOB 05/1960 · age 66 | — | — | board controlsig. influenceboard control · significant influence · firm interest | 28/07/2016 |
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 · Manufacturing · HX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.PITCHFORTH LIMITED→ 00451134 · est 1948 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 78y | — | — |
| DAISY LEA POULTRY FARM LIMITED→ 00707880 · est 1961 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 64y | — | — |
| DECORATIVE PANELS HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 00792998 · est 1964 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 62y | — | — |
| DIAGON ALUMINIUM (WINDOWS, DOORS & BIFOLDS) LTD→ 15822199 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DOWER CLOGS LTD→ 14494018 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| DREW FORSYTH & CO LTD.→ 03669599 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| DYNAMIC FRAGRANCE CORPORATION LTD→ 16248008 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ELITE LABEL SERVICES LIMITED→ 03902433 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| ELITE THERMAL INSULATION LTD→ 13125981 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ELITE WELDING AND MECHANICAL LIMITED→ 11777407 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ELITEPOWDERCOATERS (YORKSHIRE) LTD→ 16999357 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ELLAND SHEET METAL LTD→ 08177739 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-08-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC31090 — Manufacture of other furniture
Registered office
C/O Fitton & Co Callis Mill
Woodland View
Hebden Bridge
HX7 6PJ
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-20
Last: 2025-08-06
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
BETTSON, Neil Andrew→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2014-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DRAKE, John Andrew→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2014-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FARRAR, Matthew John, Mr.→
Resigneddirector · ~43y · appointed 2012-08-07 · resigned 2014-08-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (38 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-06-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-06-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-06-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-05-14
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-05-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-05
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-01-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-01