Delaware North UK Group Structure: Subs and UBO
Executive summary
DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED (company number 05166573) serves as an active UK holding and operational entity within the global hospitality and food service group. Public corporate filings confirm that the company exercises direct control of 75% to 100% over four active UK subsidiaries, with zero second-tier subsidiaries recorded on the register. Upstream beneficial ownership resolves to American national Jeremy M Jacobs, who holds 75% to 100% of shares, voting rights, and director appointment powers through a trust structure under the UK Persons with Significant Control register.
What a Companies House search shows
A standard search on the Companies House register reveals only the direct corporate profile of DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED. The public filing history records its incorporation date as 30 June 2004, its registered status as active, and its primary activity under SIC code 56210 (Event catering activities).
The conventional Companies House database search only points upwards. When reviewing the record for 05166573, an investigator sees the entity's registered office, filing history, accounts classification, charges, active officers, and its upstream Persons with Significant Control (PSC) entries. It does not show downstream holdings. Entering a parent company name or number into Companies House search tools provides no list of the operating companies or subsidiaries that the entity owns.
To identify subsidiaries from statutory filings alone, researchers traditionally consult filed group accounts. That approach carries structural limitations:
- Reporting lag: Statutory accounts reflect the corporate position as of the prior balance sheet date, often filed nine to twelve months after the financial period closes.
- Exemptions and thresholds: Small or medium-sized groups may claim consolidation exemptions under sections 398 to 402 of the Companies Act 2006, omitting detailed breakdowns of non-material or dormant group undertakings.
- Dormant and intermediate entities: Subsidiaries incorporated, transferred, or dissolved after the balance sheet date remain invisible in past accounts until the next annual reporting cycle.
What the reverse PSC search reveals
Corp Intel maintains a unified database of the complete UK PSC register and applies a reverse lookup mechanism. Instead of querying which parties control a target business, the reverse search identifies every corporate entity across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland that records DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED as an active corporate PSC.
This reverse mapping maps the complete downstream corporate footprint of DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED across the UK hospitality sector. The company holds significant control across four direct subsidiaries:
| Company Name | Number | Status | Control Band | Own Subsidiaries |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (WEMBLEY) LIMITED | 04421857 | Active | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) HOSPITALITY SERVICES LIMITED | 05165828 | Active | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK SERVICES LIMITED | 05573788 | Active | 75-100% shares | 0 |
| DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK TRAVEL HOSPITALITY & RETAIL SERVICES LIMITED | 06760978 | Active | 75-100% shares | 0 |
All four subsidiaries maintain active status. Each subsidiary record shows a control band of 75% to 100% of shares, indicating wholly owned or near-wholly owned operating vehicles. Furthermore, the downstream subsidiary count for each of these four entities is zero. Delaware North maintains a flat UK operational tier below the holding entity rather than multi-tiered chains of sub-holdings.
The earliest incorporated subsidiary in this structure is DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (WEMBLEY) LIMITED, registered on 22 April 2002, prior to the incorporation of the current UK parent entity on 30 June 2004. DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) HOSPITALITY SERVICES LIMITED was incorporated on 29 June 2004, followed by DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK SERVICES LIMITED in September 2005 and DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK TRAVEL HOSPITALITY & RETAIL SERVICES LIMITED in November 2008.
Who sits at the top: upstream ownership and control
Tracing the ownership chain upwards establishes the ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO) required for regulatory compliance under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017).
According to the PSC register of DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED, individual control rests with:
- Jeremy M Jacobs
- Nationality: American
- Country of residence: United States
- Notification date: 6 April 2016
- Nature of control: Ownership of shares 75% to 100% as trustee of a trust; voting rights 75% to 100% as trustee of a trust; right to appoint and remove directors as trustee of a trust.
Under Schedule 1A to the Companies Act 2006, where shares or rights are held through a trust, the trustees or individuals who exercise significant influence or control over the activities of that trust must be registered as PSCs. The register documents that Jeremy M Jacobs holds control in his capacity as trustee, holding direct or indirect governance exceeding the 75% statutory threshold.
Current and historical officers
Corporate governance records filed with Companies House disclose the following board composition for DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED:
- Active Directors:
- Christopher John Feeney: American national, resident in the United States, born January 1962. Appointed on 23 August 2011.
- Douglas James Tetley: British national, resident in England, born October 1964. Appointed on 7 August 2014.
- James Courter Obletz: American national, resident in the United States, born April 1981. Appointed on 1 October 2025.
- Active Secretary:
- Janice R Trybus: American national. Appointed on 15 October 2004.
Historical corporate records reflect several prior officer appointments and resignations. Mitre Nominees (Mitre Secretaries Limited and Mitre Directors Limited) acted as subscriber officers at incorporation on 30 June 2004 and resigned on 15 October 2004. Burton E Greenspon served as secretary between 15 October 2004 and 11 May 2007.
Past directors recorded on the register include Bryan Joseph Keller (appointed 15 October 2004, resigned 28 February 2013), Karen L Kemp (appointed 15 October 2004, resigned 30 April 2009), Charles Edward Moran Jr (appointed 15 October 2004, resigned 31 December 2015), Jonathan Tribe (appointed 15 October 2004, resigned 8 September 2010), Dennis Joseph Szefel (appointed 8 September 2010, resigned 18 August 2011), John Wentzell (appointed 18 July 2011, resigned 23 November 2015), Rajat Shah (appointed 28 February 2013, resigned 31 July 2014), James William Houser (appointed 22 February 2018, resigned 1 January 2024), and Amy Anna Latimer (also recorded as Amy Latimer, appointed 28 January 2016, resigned 15 February 2018; re-appointed 1 January 2024, resigned 1 October 2025).
Why the structure matters for due diligence
Corporate structure charts provide essential clarity when assessing financial exposure, executing M&A transactions, or drafting commercial contracts. Relying on trading names or parent brand recognition introduces legal risk.
1. Identifying the correct contracting party
Commercial counterparties frequently believe they are contracting with the parent company when their contract actually sits with an operational subsidiary. In the Delaware North structure, commercial contracts tied to major stadium catering or retail services might be written through DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (WEMBLEY) LIMITED (04421857) or DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK TRAVEL HOSPITALITY & RETAIL SERVICES LIMITED (06760978). If a supplier signs with the intermediate holding vehicle DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED (05166573) without obtaining cross-company guarantees from operational units, recovery in a dispute depends solely on the assets held directly by that holding entity.
2. Insolvency ring-fencing
Corporate groups separate liability across distinct legal persons under the rule in Salomon v A Salomon & Co Ltd [1896] UKHL 1. If one operational arm encounters trading losses or contractual liabilities, the assets of the parent and fellow subsidiaries remain insulated, provided directors comply with their fiduciary duties under sections 171 to 177 of the Companies Act 2006. Credit controllers must assess the specific balance sheet of the transacting entity rather than assuming the parent balance sheet supports every subsidiary commitment.
3. Banking and KYC / AML compliance
Regulated lenders, legal practitioners, and corporate finance advisers must verify the full ownership hierarchy under Regulation 28 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. For Delaware North, onboarding procedures require identifying not just the UK holding company, but documenting the upstream control band of Jeremy M Jacobs and confirming the trust structure recorded on the GOV.UK PSC register guidance.
Practical due diligence checklist: group structure analysis
When evaluating a group company on the UK register, institutional risk teams should execute a sequential verification framework:
1. Identify the exact legal counterparty: Obtain the statutory name and 8-digit Companies House registration number. Avoid informal trading styles.
2. Run a reverse PSC search: Confirm whether the target entity acts as a parent holding company by identifying all downstream entities that declare it as a corporate PSC.
3. Map intermediate shareholding tiers: Verify whether subsidiaries hold secondary-tier subsidiaries or whether the operational tier is flat.
4. Audit upstream control: Trace corporate shareholdings to the natural individual holding 25% or more of shares or voting rights. Note trust arrangements, joint holdings, or nominee entities.
5. Cross-reference board composition: Compare common directorships between parent and operational subsidiaries to assess operational oversight and shared governance.
6. Establish continuous alerts: Place the target entity and its immediate subsidiaries on free company monitoring to capture sudden director resignations, share capital alterations, or PSC notifications.
Due diligence scenario: contracting with an operating subsidiary
Consider a commercial supplier negotiating a five-year food and beverage distribution contract across major UK venues. The supplier's commercial manager receives correspondence on Delaware North corporate letterhead and prepares an agreement naming DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED as the buyer.
A legal risk analysis identifies that DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED is a holding entity holding 75% to 100% control over operational entities such as DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (WEMBLEY) LIMITED and DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK TRAVEL HOSPITALITY & RETAIL SERVICES LIMITED. The day-to-day delivery, venue access, and operational turnover occur at the subsidiary level.
If the supplier executes the contract solely with the holding company without a parent guarantee or subsidiary co-signature, two risks arise:
- Operating revenue flows into the subsidiary bank accounts, while the expenditure liability sits with the holding company.
- In the event of non-payment, the supplier cannot automatically enforce against venue-level assets or subsidiary bank accounts without litigation piercing the corporate veil, which English courts grant only in exceptional circumstances of impropriety.
By running a reverse PSC group structure search prior to signing, the supplier's legal counsel can insist that the trading subsidiary acts as a co-contractor or secure a direct parent guarantee.
For corporate lawyers, lenders and risk officers
Transaction lawyers, institutional lenders, and compliance officers must verify beneficial ownership before releasing funds, closing an acquisition, or completing client onboarding. Overlooking a subsidiary tier or failing to trace a trust-based PSC structure exposes regulated firms to compliance enforcement under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 and unexpected subordination in insolvency. For complex entities, ordering a structured chart ensures that all corporate ties, filing statuses, and ownership bands are documented and verifiable.
How to get this as a chart
You can order a complete, dated group visual for this entity at /corporate-org-chart for £25. The Corporate Org Chart PDF maps the complete downstream corporate family tree and upstream ultimate beneficial owners, sourced directly from live filings on the Register of Companies and the Persons with Significant Control register.
FAQ
How many UK subsidiaries does Delaware North Companies (UK) Limited own?
Public register filings confirm that DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) LIMITED owns four active UK subsidiaries: DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (WEMBLEY) LIMITED, DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES (UK) HOSPITALITY SERVICES LIMITED, DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK SERVICES LIMITED, and DELAWARE NORTH COMPANIES UK TRAVEL HOSPITALITY & RETAIL SERVICES LIMITED. It holds between 75% and 100% of the shares in each entity.
Who is the ultimate beneficial owner of Delaware North Companies (UK) Limited?
According to the statutory PSC register, the ultimate beneficial owner is Jeremy M Jacobs, an American national resident in the United States. His control is held in the capacity of trustee of a trust, holding 75% to 100% of shares, 75% to 100% of voting rights, and the right to appoint and remove directors.
Does Delaware North Companies (UK) Limited have any second-tier subsidiaries?
No. None of the four direct subsidiaries hold secondary subsidiaries on the public register. The downstream group structure in the UK is a single-tier operational model below the UK holding entity.
Why does a Companies House search fail to list these subsidiaries?
Companies House search records are structured around individual entity filings and register ownership upwards (who owns the company). There is no standard Companies House search tool that lists the entities owned by a parent company. Identifying downstream entities requires a reverse PSC lookup across the entire register.
What is the primary business activity of Delaware North Companies (UK) Limited?
The company is registered under Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 56210, which designates event catering activities.