CARTERS LTD
- · Lifecycle stage: mature → wound-down
- · Investment thesis: well_run_hard_buy → unclassified
- · Company status: active → liquidation
- · Opportunity score: 82 → 53
- · Oldest live charge 18.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
Picture worsened over the last 30 days — 7 negative signals vs 0 positive.
- ↓Lifecycle stage: mature → wound-down
- ·Investment thesis: well_run_hard_buy → unclassified
- ↓Company status: active → liquidation
- ↓Deal-killer verdict: clean → not-transactable
- ↓Opportunity score: 82 → 53
- +4 more
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
Opportunity 53/100 (worth a look), bankability 55/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 63). Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company in liquidation. Company is actively being wound up. Not a going concern. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 18.1y
Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 45/100 (high).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
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 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
- • 1 insolvency
- • 1 insolvency
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-29⚠️liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-order-court-scotlandinsolvency · WU01(Scot)
- 2025-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-12📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2024-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-13📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2024-08-06📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2023-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-24📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2022-11-10📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2022-10-18📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2022-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-24📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-06📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2021-04-20📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2020-11-06📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2020-10-20📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2014-10-31➖CARTER, Mclain resignedsecretary
- 2008-06-09➕CARTER, James Thomas appointeddirector
- 2008-06-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2007-08-01🏢Company incorporatedAs CARTERS LTD
- 2007-08-01➕CARTER, Lorraine appointeddirector
- 2007-08-01➕CARTER, Mclain appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CARTER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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
2 high ·Company is actively being wound up. Not a going concern.
Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2026-05-29: liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-order-court-scotland
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Lorraine Carter Individual · British · DOB 11/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 31/07/2016 |
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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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 →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.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 09/06/2008 | — |