AVALON DIRECT LTD

🌱Startupactive
16206116 · ltd · incorporated 2025-01-24
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
not disclosed
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
69/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: Dispensing chemist in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 81-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 69/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 81). 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 (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (55/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
15 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
69/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
66
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • 1 confirmation-statement
  • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-05
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  2. 2025-12-04
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  3. 2025-12-04
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2025-12-04
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  5. 2025-12-03
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2025-12-03
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  7. 2025-12-01
    O' DEA, James appointed
    director
  8. 2025-12-01
    GIBSON, Callum Scott resigned
    director
  9. 2025-11-25
    ✏️
    certificate-change-of-name-company
    change-of-name · CERTNM
  10. 2025-11-14
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2025-11-13
    DAVENPORT, Nick resigned
    director
  12. 2025-11-13
    GIBSON, Callum Scott appointed
    director
  13. 2025-11-13
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2025-11-13
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  15. 2025-11-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2025-11-13
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  17. 2025-01-24
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AVALON DIRECT LTD
  18. 2025-01-24
    DAVENPORT, Nick appointed
    director
  19. 2025-01-24
    📄
    incorporation-company
    incorporation · NEWINC

Owner dependency

95/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 81 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Young company: Only 1.4 years old — management layer unlikely to be developed.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 81 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

2 med · 1 low
2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: DAVENPORT, Nick resigned 2025-11-13; GIBSON, Callum Scott resigned 2025-12-01

Name changed recently
medium

Name changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.

Evidence: 2025-11-25: certificate-change-of-name-company

Multiple registered office changes
low

Multiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr James O' Dea
Individual · British · DOB 08/1945 · age 81
75100%
75-100% shares01/12/2025
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr Callum Scott Gibsonceased 01/12/2025· 75-100% shares
  • Mr Nick Davenportceased 13/11/2025· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Retail · DL postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ARIES COLLECTIVE STORE LTD
17069670 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
ARKTREE LTD
15119071 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
2y
ASGARD 2.0 LTD
12509616 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
6y
ASIM ENTERPRISES LTD
15148344 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
2y
ASNA SPICE HOUSE LIMITED
15500326 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
2y
ASUN LTD
16992747 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
ATR CARAVAN SALES LIMITED
06478483 · est 2008 · no financials extracted
18y
ATROCK LTD
16797867 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
AURA HAVEN LIMITED
16372037 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
1y
AUTOVEX LTD
16956808 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
AX STORE LIMITED
16100973 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
AYCLIFFE DAIRY LIMITED
10739739 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
8y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated2025-01-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47730 — Dispensing chemist in specialised stores

Registered office

Unit 14 Durham Way South
Aycliffe Business Park
Newton Aycliffe
DL5 6ZF
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-24
Last made up to:
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-21
Last: 2026-01-07

Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)

O' DEA, James
director · ~81y · appointed 2025-12-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DAVENPORT, Nick
director · ~61y · appointed 2025-01-24 · resigned 2025-11-13
Resigned
GIBSON, Callum Scott
director · ~29y · appointed 2025-11-13 · resigned 2025-12-01
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (15 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-07
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-04
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-12-04
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-04
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-12-04
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-03
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-12-03
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2025-11-25
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-11-14
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-13
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-11-13
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-13
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-11-13
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2025-01-24