DORCHESTER SHIPPING CONTAINERS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
09171317 · ltd · incorporated 2014-08-12
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 5.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 52103
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 5.7y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 5.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
32 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
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 | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-11-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Cambridge & Counties Bank Limited
- 2019-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-02📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2018-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-17📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2017-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-18📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AAMD
- 2016-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2014-08-12🏢Company incorporatedAs DORCHESTER SHIPPING CONTAINERS LIMITED
- 2014-08-12➕SAMS, Louise Helen appointeddirector
- 2014-08-12➕SAMS, Michael appointeddirector
- 2014-08-12➕KAHAN, Barbara appointeddirector
- 2014-08-12➖KAHAN, Barbara resigneddirector
Owner dependency
74/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
51/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael Sams Individual · British · DOB 12/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/07/2016 |
Mrs Louise Helen Sams Individual · British · DOB 07/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/07/2016 |
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 · Transport & logistics · DT postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWR DRIVERS LTD→ 14907020 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| COASTLINE CRUISES LTD→ 03720450 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| CORNELIA THE PROFESSIONAL ORGANISER LTD→ 13217898 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| D AND E TAXIS (DORSET) LIMITED→ 13377777 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| DAVE BEVIS HAULAGE LIMITED→ 04934181 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| DEVON GENERAL OMNIBUS & TOURING COMPANY LIMITED→ 07090356 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DORCHESTER STORAGE LIMITED→ 16525975 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FEARLESS LIMITED→ 05908903 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| FISH-ON LTD→ 07148148 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| FLEETLINE TAXIS WEYMOUTH LIMITED→ 08706167 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| FRAMPTON AND BABEL COLD STORAGE LTD→ 14921409 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FREIGHT BOOKERS (WORLDWIDE) LTD→ 06047434 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2014-08-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC52103 — SIC 52103
Registered office
Stafford House
10 Prince Of Wales Road
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 1PW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-26
Last: 2025-08-12
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
SAMS, Louise Helen→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2014-08-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SAMS, Michael→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2014-08-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KAHAN, Barbara→
Resigneddirector · ~95y · appointed 2014-08-12 · resigned 2014-08-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Cambridge & Counties Cambridge & Counties Bank Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 11/11/2020 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (32 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-01
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2020-11-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-11