168 ORT LIMITED
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 6.1y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 6.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1400 | 2000 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-11📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-03-10🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Santander UK PLC
- 2019-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-12📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2018-02-27➕LAI, Yuk Form appointedsecretary
- 2017-08-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-07📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2017-06-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2016-06-22🏢Company incorporatedAs 168 ORT LIMITED
- 2016-06-22➕LAI, Chih On appointeddirector
- 2016-06-22📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
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.
- +No director turnover: Company is 10 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Chih On Lai Individual · British · DOB 10/1992 · age 34 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 21/06/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Santander Santander UK PLC | A registered charge | — | 10/03/2020 | — |