HOWARTH'S WAY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC235016 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-06
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
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Turnover
—
year to Aug 2025
Net worth
£119.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 14.4y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 14.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
67 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £119,254

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£119k
↑ 2.3% YoY
Current Assets
£27k
↑ 34% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£24k£48k£72k£95k£119kAug 2024Aug 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-08-312024-08-31
Total assets£119.3k£116.6k
Current assets£26.7k£19.9k
Net assets£119.3k£116.6k

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
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-08-13
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  3. 2025-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-02-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-02-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2023-02-13
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2022-12-07
    ➖
    HOWARTH, James resigned
    director
  9. 2022-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-03-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-01-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-02-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-05-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-02-02
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2015-01-01
    ➖
    BIRRELL, John resigned
    secretary
  18. 2014-04-05
    ➕
    HOWARTH, Donna Maria appointed
    director
  19. 2011-12-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  20. 2010-08-10
    ➖
    BIRRELL, John resigned
    director
  21. 2009-11-01
    ➕
    BIRRELL, John appointed
    director
  22. 2002-08-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HOWARTH'S WAY LIMITED
  23. 2002-08-06
    ➕
    BIRRELL, John appointed
    secretary
  24. 2002-08-06
    ➕
    HOWARTH, Donna Marie appointed
    secretary
  25. 2002-08-06
    ➖
    HOWARTH, Donna Marie resigned
    secretary
  26. 2002-08-06
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 2002-08-06
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2002-08-06
    ➕
    HOWARTH, James appointed
    director

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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HOWARTH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

88/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Donna Maria Howarth
Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr James Howarthceased 07/12/2022· 25-50% shares

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

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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

8 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
Incorporated2002-08-06
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47990 — Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets

Registered office

Second Floor Airbles House
270 Airbles Road
Motherwell
ML1 3AT
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-07
Last: 2026-01-24

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

HOWARTH, Donna Maria→
director · ~65y · appointed 2014-04-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BIRRELL, John→
secretary · appointed 2002-08-06 · resigned 2015-01-01
Resigned
HOWARTH, Donna Marie→
secretary · appointed 2002-08-06 · resigned 2002-08-06
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-08-06 · resigned 2002-08-06
Resigned
BIRRELL, John→
director · ~81y · appointed 2009-11-01 · resigned 2010-08-10
Resigned
HOWARTH, James→
director · ~76y · appointed 2002-08-06 · resigned 2022-12-07
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Standard security1 property20/12/2011—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (67 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-08-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-02-13
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-05