ABOVE TOWN TRADING LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
08879925 · ltd · incorporated 2014-02-06
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£49.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Licenced restaurants
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle 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. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -45% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
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
28 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £49,079
Net assets shrinking
Down £12,451 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 45% YoY
Cash YoY
-45%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£49k
↓ 45% YoY
Net Worth
£49k
↓ 20% YoY
Current Assets
£49k
↓ 45% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £49.1k | £61.5k |
| Current assets | £49.2k | £88.8k |
| Cash | £49.2k | £88.8k |
| Net assets | £49.1k | £61.5k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-11📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-12📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-02-06🏢Company incorporatedAs ABOVE TOWN TRADING LIMITED
- 2014-02-06➕RYDER, Peter John Dudley appointeddirector
- 2014-02-06➕RYDER, Sarah Kate appointeddirector
Owner dependency
86/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
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 12 years.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Peter John Dudley Ryder Individual · British · DOB 01/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Sarah Kate Ryder Individual · British · DOB 03/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AH PUBS LTD→ 13705477 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AJR HOSPITALITY LTD→ 07447021 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| AKBULUT MOBILE CATERING LTD→ 14692512 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALAN IRIS LTD→ 16596653 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALISA PIZZA LTD→ 16560012 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALSOP'S KINGSBRIDGE LTD→ 16551299 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AMARLIE FOODS LTD→ 12877190 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AMBESSUE LTD→ 13553958 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ANCHOR HOTEL PORLOCK WEIR (2018) LTD→ 11425964 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ANCHORSTONE CAFE LIMITED→ 08538795 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ANDRIA RESTAURANT LTD→ 12721078 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ANGEL WHARF LIMITED→ 13257697 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2014-02-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC56101 — Licenced restaurants
Registered office
156 Newton Road
Torquay
Devon
TQ2 7AQ
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-20
Last: 2026-02-06
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
RYDER, Peter John Dudley→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2014-02-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RYDER, Sarah Kate→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2014-02-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (28 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-10-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-06-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-12-13