W. W. WALES LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC085711 · ltd · incorporated 1983-11-29
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Aug 2024
Net worth
£1.18M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of meat and meat products
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 47220Retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 42.1y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 42.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
19 officers (3 active, 19 linked, 14 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
132 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,182,927
Net assets shrinking
Down £2,803 YoY
Cash YoY
-19%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£237k
↓ 19% YoY
Net Worth
£1.2m
~ YoY
Current Assets
£1.3m
↑ 2.9% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£264k£527k£791k£1.1m£1.3mAug 2023Aug 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-08-312023-08-31
Total assets£1.36M£1.37M
Current assets£1.32M£1.28M
Cash£237.0k£292.0k
Debtors£978.5k£848.6k
Net assets£1.18M£1.19M

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (56 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2025-05-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-03-11
    ➖
    WALLACE, Hugh resigned
    director
  4. 2024-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-06-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2023-06-15
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2023-06-15
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC03
  8. 2023-06-07
    ➖
    BOYLE, Elizabeth resigned
    director
  9. 2023-05-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-05-27
    ➖
    MCMILLAN, Alfred James resigned
    director
  11. 2022-05-27
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2022-05-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2020-06-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2020-06-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2020-06-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  17. 2020-06-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2020-06-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  19. 2020-05-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2019-08-26
    ➕
    OPRAY, John appointed
    director
  21. 2019-08-26
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  22. 2019-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  23. 2019-01-07
    ➖
    MCKELL, Margaret resigned
    secretary
  24. 2019-01-07
    ➖
    MCKELL, Margaret resigned
    director
  25. 2006-02-28
    ➖
    STEWART, James resigned
    director
  26. 2000-04-20
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  27. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    LAW, Mark John Brown appointed
    director
  28. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    MCKELL, Margaret appointed
    secretary
  29. 2000-03-08
    ➖
    WALES, Agnes Ellen Blyth resigned
    secretary
  30. 2000-03-08
    ➖
    MAIR MATHESON SOLICITORS resigned
    corporate-secretary
  31. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    BOYLE, Elizabeth appointed
    director
  32. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    MCKELL, Margaret appointed
    director
  33. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    MCMILLAN, Alfred James appointed
    director
  34. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    STEWART, James appointed
    director
  35. 2000-03-08
    ➖
    WALES, Agnes Ellen Blyth resigned
    director
  36. 2000-03-08
    ➖
    WALES, William Wright resigned
    director
  37. 2000-03-08
    ➕
    WALLACE, Hugh appointed
    director
  38. 2000-03-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  39. 1997-11-02
    ➕
    OPRAY, Gordon Barclay appointed
    director
  40. 1996-11-06
    ➖
    CRAIG, Michael Duncan resigned
    director
  41. 1996-11-06
    ➖
    MCQUISTON, Hugh resigned
    director
  42. 1996-04-17
    ➕
    WALES, Agnes Ellen Blyth appointed
    secretary
  43. 1996-04-17
    ➕
    WALES, Agnes Ellen Blyth appointed
    director
  44. 1996-03-13
    ➖
    LIVINGSTONE, Alistair resigned
    secretary
  45. 1996-03-13
    ➖
    LIVINGSTONE, Alistair resigned
    director
  46. 1994-03-10
    ➕
    MAIR MATHESON SOLICITORS appointed
    corporate-secretary
  47. 1992-09-30
    ➕
    LIVINGSTONE, Alistair appointed
    secretary
  48. 1992-09-30
    ➖
    WALES, William Wright resigned
    secretary
  49. 1992-09-30
    ➕
    CRAIG, Michael Duncan appointed
    director
  50. 1992-09-30
    ➕
    MCQUISTON, Hugh appointed
    director
Showing most recent 50 of 56 events

Owner dependency

83/100
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
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
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 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 42 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 · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Calebridge Limited
Individual
75–100%
—75-100% shares15/06/2023
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Gordon Barclay Oprayceased 15/06/2023· 50-75% 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
Incorporated1983-11-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46320 — Wholesale of meat and meat products

Registered office

Unit 4
Glencairn Industrial Estate
Kilmarnock
Ayrshire
KA1 4AY

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-30
Last: 2025-05-16

Officers (3 active · 16 resigned)

LAW, Mark John Brown→
director · ~56y · appointed 2000-03-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OPRAY, Gordon Barclay→
director · ~67y · appointed 1997-11-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OPRAY, John→
director · ~43y · appointed 2019-08-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LIVINGSTONE, Alistair→
secretary · appointed 1992-09-30 · resigned 1996-03-13
Resigned
MCKELL, Margaret→
secretary · appointed 2000-03-08 · resigned 2019-01-07
Resigned
WALES, Agnes Ellen Blyth→
secretary · appointed 1996-04-17 · resigned 2000-03-08
Resigned
WALES, William Wright→
secretary · resigned 1992-09-30
Resigned
MAIR MATHESON SOLICITORS→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1994-03-10 · resigned 2000-03-08
Resigned
BOYLE, Elizabeth→
director · ~69y · appointed 2000-03-08 · resigned 2023-06-07
Resigned
CRAIG, Michael Duncan→
director · ~64y · appointed 1992-09-30 · resigned 1996-11-06
Resigned
LIVINGSTONE, Alistair→
director · ~73y · appointed 1992-09-15 · resigned 1996-03-13
Resigned
MCKELL, Margaret→
director · ~57y · appointed 2000-03-08 · resigned 2019-01-07
Resigned
MCMILLAN, Alfred James→
director · ~70y · appointed 2000-03-08 · resigned 2022-05-27
Resigned
MCQUISTON, Hugh→
director · ~94y · appointed 1992-09-30 · resigned 1996-11-06
Resigned
OPRAY, Gordon Barclay→
director · ~67y · resigned 1992-09-20
Resigned
STEWART, James→
director · ~75y · appointed 2000-03-08 · resigned 2006-02-28
Resigned
WALES, Agnes Ellen Blyth→
director · ~86y · appointed 1996-04-17 · resigned 2000-03-08
Resigned
WALES, William Wright→
director · ~87y · resigned 2000-03-08
Resigned
WALLACE, Hugh→
director · ~79y · appointed 2000-03-08 · resigned 2025-03-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property08/03/2000—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Standard security1 property07/07/1992—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Standard security1 property15/01/1986—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property28/03/198420/04/2000
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (132 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-21
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-19
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-06-19
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-06-15
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC03
2023-06-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-26
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-27