EXPRESS BINGO (DISCOUNT) CO. LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
00937571 · ltd · incorporated 1968-08-21
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 18129
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 11.5y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (57/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
111 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
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 (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-08-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-04📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-07-24➖ARROWHEAD SOLUTIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-05📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-03📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-12-02📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2017-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-12➕CAFFERY, Paul Steven appointeddirector
- 2015-01-29➖SNELLING, James William resigneddirector
- 2015-01-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2014-11-05➖SMITH, Deirdre Mary resignedsecretary
- 2014-11-05➖SMITH, John Ronald resigneddirector
- 2014-11-05➕ARROWHEAD SOLUTIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
- 2014-10-17➕SNELLING, James William appointeddirector
- 2003-12-22➖COMLEY, Hugh Arthur resignedsecretary
- 2003-12-22➕SMITH, Deirdre Mary appointedsecretary
- 2003-12-22➖COMLEY, Hugh Arthur resigneddirector
- 1968-08-21🏢Company incorporatedAs EXPRESS BINGO (DISCOUNT) CO. LIMITED
Owner dependency
83/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
70/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 58 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul Steven Caffery Individual · British · DOB 01/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest | 05/08/2019 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Arrowhead Solutions Limitedceased 04/08/2023· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence
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 →Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · WN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQUA SIGNAL & TELEGRAPHIC SYSTEMS LTD→ 02918879 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| ARMADORA YACHTS UK LTD→ 09751811 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ASPIRE FENCING GROUP LTD→ 15428724 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BCD SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 06254215 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BH QUARRIES LTD→ 15106636 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BRADLEYS CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 07293726 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| BRAEMERE MODELS LTD→ 14548546 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BRAGO ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED→ 09954065 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| BRASH MONUMENTAL MASONS LTD→ 13338428 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BREHENY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES LTD→ 17064728 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BROUGH AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES LTD→ 16825327 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C & L PLANT REPAIRS LTD→ 10630667 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
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 →🔒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
Incorporated1968-08-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC18129 — SIC 18129
Registered office
Unit 7 Hewitt Business Park Winstanley Road
Orrell
Wigan
Lancashire
WN5 7XB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-18
Last: 2025-08-04
Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)
CAFFERY, Paul Steven→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2015-02-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COMLEY, Hugh Arthur→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2003-12-22
SMITH, Deirdre Mary→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-12-22 · resigned 2014-11-05
COMLEY, Hugh Arthur→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · resigned 2003-12-22
SMITH, John Ronald→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · resigned 2014-11-05
SNELLING, James William→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 2014-10-17 · resigned 2015-01-29
ARROWHEAD SOLUTIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2014-11-05 · resigned 2021-07-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 19/01/2015 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (111 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-16
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-04
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-04
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-11