CORNWALL SOAPBOX LTD
🌳Matureactive
09453189 · ltd · incorporated 2015-02-23
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
£231.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
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. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
3 officers (3 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
30 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £231,860
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£232k
↑ 7.3% YoY
Current Assets
£219k
↓ 7.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £261.7k | £287.5k |
| Current assets | £218.6k | £236.6k |
| Net assets | £231.9k | £216.0k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-01-10📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2022-01-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-12-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-23🏢Company incorporatedAs CORNWALL SOAPBOX LTD
- 2015-02-23➕SOWDEN, Michael John appointedsecretary
- 2015-02-23➕SOWDEN, Michael John appointeddirector
- 2015-02-23➕SOWDEN, Suzanne Eileen appointeddirector
Owner dependency
81/100
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.
Succession & seller-readiness
71/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
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.
- 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 John Sowden Individual · British · DOB 05/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Suzanne Eileen Sowden Individual · British · DOB 06/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Manufacturing · TR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTIAN PAUL LTD→ 05448842 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| COUNTRY COW DESIGNS LIMITED→ 13261839 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| COWLEY STONE & SLATE LTD→ 11684803 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CREATURE COMFORTS (CORNWALL) LTD→ 04339115 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| CUSTOM AWARDS LTD→ 14826062 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CYCLE SOLUTIONS THE FALMOUTH BIKE SHOP LTD.→ 04216183 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| D.C ENGINEERING MAINTENANCE LIMITED→ 14187204 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| DEAD MAN'S HUT LTD→ 14961931 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| DESTILLERZ LTD→ 16375305 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DEVORAN JOINERY CO LTD→ 07146506 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DEVORAN METALS LIMITED→ 00882295 · est 1966 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 59y | — | — |
| DIGITAL FABRICATIONS LIMITED→ 08530641 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-02-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Registered office
Unit G1 Church View Business Park
Bickland Water Road
Falmouth
Cornwall
TR11 4FZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-09
Last: 2026-02-23
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
SOWDEN, Michael John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2015-02-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SOWDEN, Michael John→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2015-02-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SOWDEN, Suzanne Eileen→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2015-02-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (30 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-31
change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-23
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-01-10
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2022-01-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-21