4WARD GROUP HOLDINGS LTD
Opportunity 70/100 (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: strategic trade sale (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 0.3y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Newest facility, 0.3 years old — likely still in initial term.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (71/100)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
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsFinancials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
- • 1 mortgage
Corporate timeline (12 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-22📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2026-01-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Allica Financial Services Limited
- 2025-08-11📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2025-08-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-21✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2023-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-21🏢Company incorporatedAs 4WARD GROUP HOLDINGS LTD
- 2020-09-21➕WARD, Jonathan appointeddirector
- 2020-09-21📄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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "WARD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +No director turnover: Company is 6 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
1 med ·Name changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2024-05-21: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Jonathan Ward Individual · British · DOB 12/1982 · age 44 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 21/09/2020 |
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 (1 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Allica Bank Allica Financial Services Limited | A registered charge | — | 19/01/2026 | — |