JAMES LEWIS & SONS LIMITED
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. 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 22.9y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.9 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 | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 signals 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
- • 3 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-27📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2026-01-26📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-26📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-12➕LEWIS, James appointeddirector
- 2026-01-12➖LEWIS, Archibald resigneddirector
- 2026-01-12➖LEWIS, Robert James resigneddirector
- 2025-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-26➖LEWIS, Archibald resignedsecretary
- 2021-05-26📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2020-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-04📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2014-10-13🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2003-05-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1999-12-30🏢Company incorporatedAs JAMES LEWIS & SONS LIMITED
- 1999-12-30➕LEWIS, Archibald appointedsecretary
- 1999-12-30➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-12-30➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-12-30➕LEWIS, Archibald appointeddirector
- 1999-12-30➕LEWIS, Robert James appointeddirector
- 1999-12-30➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1999-12-30➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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 "LEWIS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
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 ·Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: LEWIS, Archibald resigned 2026-01-12; LEWIS, Robert James resigned 2026-01-12
Shareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Archibald Lewis Individual · British · DOB 10/1952 · age 74 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/07/2016 |
Mr Robert James Lewis Individual · British · DOB 08/1947 · age 79 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/07/2016 |
Mr William Lewis Individual · British · DOB 01/1946 · age 80 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/07/2016 |
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 · 5 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 19/05/2003 | 13/10/2014 |