KENNEDY & WOLFENDEN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
NI012901 · ltd · incorporated 1978-07-14
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 47791
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 47/100. Strong seller-intent signal (88/100, director aged 73). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (53/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 41.0y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 41.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (69/100)

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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 1 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
115 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
55
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-01-31
Average employees300

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-23
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  2. 2025-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-08-06
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  4. 2024-08-06
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  5. 2023-11-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-02-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-12-15
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  8. 2022-12-06
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  9. 2022-02-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-02-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-11-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-12-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-07-03
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  15. 2017-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-07-07
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2006-12-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2005-04-13
    ➕
    ORR, Robert Samuel appointed
    secretary
  19. 2004-08-15
    ➖
    WOLFENDEN, Eliza resigned
    secretary
  20. 2003-06-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Square East
  21. 2003-06-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Ulster Bank Limited
  22. 1985-05-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Allied Irish Banks PLC
  23. 1978-07-14
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As KENNEDY & WOLFENDEN LIMITED
  24. 1978-07-14
    ➕
    WOLFENDEN-ORR, Eleanor appointed
    director
  25. 1978-07-14
    ➕
    WOLFENDEN, Eliza appointed
    secretary

Owner dependency

100/100
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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 48 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
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 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 48 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 48 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 high ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-04-23

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Eleanor Wolfenden-Orr
Individual · British · DOB 06/1953 · age 73
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

10 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
Incorporated1978-07-14
Jurisdictionnorthern-ireland
Primary SIC47791 — SIC 47791

Registered office

86 Main Street
Portrush
BT56 8BN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-04-23OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2024-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-12
Last: 2025-08-29

Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)

ORR, Robert Samuel→
secretary · appointed 2005-04-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOLFENDEN-ORR, Eleanor→
director · ~73y · appointed 1978-07-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOLFENDEN, Eliza→
secretary · appointed 1978-07-14 · resigned 2004-08-15
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
NatWest Group
Square East / Ulster Bank Limited
Mortgage or charge1 property23/06/200306/08/2024
outstanding
NatWest Group
Ulster Bank Limited / Square East
Mortgage or charge1 property20/06/2003—
satisfied
Allied Irish Banks
Allied Irish Banks PLC
Mortgage or charge1 property23/05/198512/12/2006
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (115 total)

change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2026-01-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-01
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-08-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-06
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-14
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-02