ALTERNATIVES TRADING LIMITED
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (82/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
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 | 600 | 700 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-11📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-15📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-07-14➖BOYALL, Sharon Alice resigneddirector
- 2023-02-28➕BOYALL, Sharon Alice appointeddirector
- 2023-02-28➖SUCH, Angela Jane resigneddirector
- 2023-02-28📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-02-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-23📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-07-14➕STREVENS, Christopher John appointeddirector
- 2014-07-14➖GUNNING, Brett Nigel Travers resigneddirector
- 2013-05-20🏢Company incorporatedAs ALTERNATIVES TRADING LIMITED
- 2013-05-20➕GUNNING, Brett Nigel Travers appointeddirector
- 2013-05-20➕SUCH, Angela Jane appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
Alternatives Watford is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Alternatives Watford Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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.
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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 →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 (1 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.