CF INKPEN & SONS LTD
🌳Matureactive
09906828 · ltd · incorporated 2015-12-08
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
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Electrical installation
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. 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
24 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.
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 | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 700 | 600 |
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
5
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-12-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-04-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-08🏢Company incorporatedAs CF INKPEN & SONS LTD
- 2015-12-08➕INKPEN, Graham appointeddirector
- 2015-12-08➕INKPEN, James appointeddirector
- 2015-12-08📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
100/100
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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "INKPEN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 10 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
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 67. 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.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Graham Murray Inkpen Individual · British · DOB 04/1959 · age 67 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 08/04/2016 |
Mr James Johnston Inkpen Individual · British · DOB 04/1968 · age 58 | 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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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST CARPENTRY PORTSMOUTH LTD→ 16197203 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A4 DECORATING LIMITED→ 16249500 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AINSLIE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS LIMITED→ 14105048 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AMAWELL LIMITED→ 05262904 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| BERWICK-UPON-TWEED FREEMEN'S HOUSING SOCIETY LIMITED→ 03930306 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| BRADA QUARRY LIMITED→ 05812375 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| BRILLIANCE REAL ESTATE UK LTD.→ 13947244 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| CHRIS RIDDELL PLUMBING AND HEATING LIMITED→ 14131792 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CKC INTERIORS LIMITED→ SC856391 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CLARK ELLIOTT PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→ SC448386 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| COLIN M EASTON PLUMBING & HEATING LTD→ 08482472 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| COLIN YOURSTON & SON LIMITED→ SC382992 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-12-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43210 — Electrical installation
Registered office
Unit 5, Sea View, Brass Bastion
Ramparts Business Park
Berwick Upon Tweed
Northumberland
TD15 1UP
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-21
Last: 2025-12-07
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
INKPEN, Graham→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2015-12-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
INKPEN, James→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2015-12-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (24 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-04-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-07