ADVANTAGE BOOK COMPANY LIMITED
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 74). 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
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 23.8y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key 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 | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £495.3k | — |
| Current assets | £501.0k | — |
| Cash | £98.7k | — |
| Debtors | £402.3k | — |
| Net assets | £495.3k | — |
| Average employees | — | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 signals 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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-10-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-10-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-03📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-01📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-07-01📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-07-01🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2021-07-01🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2021-03-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-16📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-11-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-11-19📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-11-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-11-19📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-07-18➖HINCHLIFFE, Arthur Gordon resignedsecretary
- 2019-07-18➖HINCHLIFFE, Arthur Gordon resigneddirector
- 2019-02-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-14🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2016-06-13🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ)
- 2016-06-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ)
- 2002-09-27🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Jack Cooper and Gordon Arthur Hinchcliffe
- 1970-04-16🏢Company incorporatedAs ADVANTAGE BOOK COMPANY LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 56 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 med ·Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Jack Cooper Individual · British · DOB 02/1952 · age 74 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Arthur Gordon Hinchliffeceased 18/07/2019· 25-50% shares
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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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 →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 (1 active · 2 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ) | A registered charge | — | 13/06/2016 | 01/07/2021 | |
| satisfied | Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ) | A registered charge | 1 property | 13/06/2016 | 01/07/2021 | |
| satisfied | Jack Cooper and Gordon Arthur Hinchcliffe | Debenture | 1 property | 27/09/2002 | 14/06/2016 |