CHEW VALLEY DAIRY LIMITED
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 12.9y
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 3600 | 3500 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
5 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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 address
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 address
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 address
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-02📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-20📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2024-04-20📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2024-04-19📄capital-alter-shares-subdivisioncapital · SH02
- 2024-04-19📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-20📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-07📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-10-07📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-10-06🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD
- 2021-10-06🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD
- 2021-08-17📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-08-17🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2021-07-21📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-07-19🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2021-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-01-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2013-06-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2013-03-19🏢Company incorporatedAs CHEW VALLEY DAIRY LIMITED
- 2013-03-19➕GAY, Thomas Colston James appointedsecretary
- 2013-03-19➕GAY, Colston Reginald James appointeddirector
- 2013-03-19➕GAY, Thomas Colston James appointeddirector
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- 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 13 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Thomas Colston James Gay Individual · British · DOB 09/1988 · age 38 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 19/03/2017 |
Mr Colston Reginald James Gay Individual · British · DOB 08/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 19/03/2017 |
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.
See pricing →Similar companies
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8 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 (3 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD | A registered charge | — | 06/10/2021 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD | A registered charge | — | 06/10/2021 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 19/07/2021 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 20/06/2013 | 17/08/2021 |