WOODLAND HOUSE DARLINGTON LTD
Opportunity 60/100 (worth a look), bankability 70/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (57/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-21📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2025-10-21🏁Company dissolved
- 2025-08-05📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2025-07-29📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2025-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-03-21➖GURNEY, Jason Barry resigneddirector
- 2024-08-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-11📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2017-08-11📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-24➕GURNEY, Jason Barry appointeddirector
- 2017-03-24📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2015-07-17🏢Company incorporatedAs WOODLAND HOUSE DARLINGTON LTD
- 2015-07-17➕THOMPSON, Michael Colin 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
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- 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.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 high ·Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2025-10-21
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael Colin Thompson Individual · British · DOB 07/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest | 16/07/2016 |
Mr Jayson Gurney Individual · British · DOB 01/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 11/08/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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8 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.
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Officers (0 active · 1 resigned)
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