DESIGN A BAR LIMITED
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). 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 (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
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 | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 400 | 400 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-12-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-02-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-15📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2003-04-14🏢Company incorporatedAs DESIGN A BAR LIMITED
- 2003-04-14➕LEES, Alexander Cameron appointedsecretary
- 2003-04-14➕LEES, Ian Cameron appointeddirector
- 2003-04-14➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-04-14➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ian Cameron Lees Individual · British · DOB 03/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 (2 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.