AFW DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
09375030 · ltd · incorporated 2015-01-06
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46480
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (83/100)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
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
15 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
38 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| 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
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-02📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2023-11-28📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2023-07-11➕SHEPPARD, Theodore Alban Edward appointeddirector
- 2023-07-11📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-07-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-07-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-04-24➖SHEPPARD, Keith Ronald resigneddirector
- 2022-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-23📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-08📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2018-11-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2015-09-17➕YIP, Gerard appointeddirector
- 2015-01-06🏢Company incorporatedAs AFW DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
- 2015-01-06➕YIP, Gerard appointedsecretary
- 2015-01-06➕SHEPPARD, Keith Ronald appointeddirector
Owner dependency
73/100
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
61/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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.)
Group structure
Coswi Holdings Limited holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.
🏛️significant stake
Coswi Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares
⬇
AFW DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
This company · 09375030
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Coswi Holdings Limited Corporate entity | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 29/10/2018 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Keith Ronald Sheppardceased 24/04/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · Wholesale & distribution · GU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23PIVOT LTD→ 11729582 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A.B. NUTRITION LIMITED→ 01897599 · est 1985 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
| A.C.T. ENERGY LIMITED→ 03323298 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| AC JADE TRADING LIMITED→ 06420073 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ACADEMY SALES CONSORTIUM LTD→ 06782806 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ACEESAY LOGISTICS AND TRADING LTD→ 13545882 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACORN PACKAGING PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 06784479 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ADBAC LTD→ 05441765 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ADPRODUCTS.COM LIMITED→ 03516908 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| AGATHA OSULA LIMITED→ 10652811 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AGROPHARM LIMITED→ 01181343 · est 1974 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| AILERA LTD→ 07787773 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-01-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46480 — SIC 46480
Registered office
5 Station Road
Liphook
GU30 7DW
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-01
Last: 2026-05-18
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
Active
SHEPPARD, Theodore Alban Edward→
Activedirector · ~41y · appointed 2023-07-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SHEPPARD, Keith Ronald→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2015-01-06 · resigned 2023-04-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (38 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-20
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2023-12-02
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2023-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-11
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-07-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-07-11
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-22