DWS ASSOCIATES LIMITED
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 600 | — |
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
Corporate timeline (16 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-15📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2025-05-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-23📄statement-of-companys-objectschange-of-constitution · CC04
- 2024-09-23📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2024-03-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-07-10➕GLEDHILL, Susan Pauline appointeddirector
- 2023-05-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-01📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2019-05-24🏢Company incorporatedAs DWS ASSOCIATES LIMITED
- 2019-05-24➕SMART, Anne appointeddirector
- 2019-05-24➕SMART, David appointeddirector
- 2019-05-24📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David Smart Individual · British · DOB 04/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 24/05/2019 |
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.
See pricing →Similar companies
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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 (3 active · 0 resigned)
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