ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH DISPENSING OPTICIANS(THE)

🌳Matureactive

02012484 · private-limited-guarant-nsc · incorporated 1986-04-21

Investment thesis

Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.

Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.

Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

£3.96M

year to Dec 2024

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

77/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Technical and vocational secondary education

Sector: Education

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

94120Activities of professional membership organisations

Investor take

Pursue

Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 37.2y

40/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 37.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
· Legal-friction score 28/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
· Not currently profitable — coverage conversation is a harder sell.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (73/100)

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

Lenders & charges

2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)

Directors & officers

97 officers (8 active, 97 linked, 93 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)

Director network

4 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

289 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

🔒Estimated company valuation

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 →

Opportunity Score

77/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102

Loss-making

Loss before tax £75,924

Strong revenue growth

Turnover up 20% YoY

Turnover YoY

+20%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

—

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2024-12-31	2023-12-31
Turnover	£3.96M	£3.29M
Gross profit	£2.71M	£2.10M
Operating profit	£-69.4k	£-608.6k
Profit before tax	£-75.9k	£-613.1k
Average employees	2800	2900

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

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

Last 30 days

filings

• 3 officers

Last 90 days

filings

• 3 officers

Last 180 days

filings

• 3 officers

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (206 events)Click to expand

2026-06-01
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-05-27
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-05-18
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-05-14
➖
GUTSELL, Kevin Andrew resigned
director
2025-11-06
➕
HADLEY, Davinia appointed
director
2025-11-05
➖
BLEASDALE, Lorraine resigned
director
2025-09-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2025-08-11
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-08-11
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2025-07-28
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-07-27
➖
BEGUM, Saima resigned
director
2024-11-08
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-11-07
➖
LEES, Julie Anne Roberta resigned
director
2024-11-05
➕
BILL, Deborah Ann appointed
director
2024-11-05
➕
GILBERT, Sarah Jane appointed
director
2024-11-05
➕
O'DONNELL, Kimberley appointed
director
2024-11-05
➕
RUSSELL, Dylan appointed
director
2024-11-05
➕
TWYNING, Gillian appointed
director
2024-11-05
➖
HARDING, Steven resigned
director
2024-11-05
➖
SYMONS, Andrew William Stewart resigned
director
2024-11-05
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-05
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-05
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-05
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-05
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-11-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-09-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-05-22
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-05-15
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-05-09
➕
HARDING, Steven appointed
director
2024-05-09
➖
NEWSOME, Daryl Vivian Ernest resigned
director
2024-01-24
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-01-15
➕
SYMONS, Andrew William Stewart appointed
director
2023-11-30
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-11-21
➖
SMITH, Joshua Colin resigned
director
2023-07-31
➖
BICKLE, Gillian resigned
director
2023-07-31
➖
BLACK, Peter Gavin resigned
director
2023-07-31
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-07-31
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-07-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-01-01
➕
BRIDGE, Alistair James appointed
secretary
2022-12-31
➖
GARRETT, Anthony Peter, Sir resigned
secretary
2022-09-02
➕
RENNIE, Brenda Alexis appointed
director
2022-05-15
➕
GUTSELL, Kevin Andrew appointed
director
2022-05-15
➖
HOLMES, Joanne Teresa resigned
director
2021-10-21
➕
BLACK, Peter Gavin appointed
director
2021-10-21
➕
SMITH, Joshua Colin appointed
director
2021-10-20
➕
BICKLE, Gillian appointed
director
2021-10-20
➖
MILSOM, Kevin William resigned
director

Showing most recent 50 of 206 events

Owner dependency

48/100

Moderate — manageable with handover

Some founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.

FACTORS

-7 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

40/100

Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS

secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.

Red flags

1 med ·

3 director resignations in last 12 months

medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: BEGUM, Saima resigned 2025-07-27; BLEASDALE, Lorraine resigned 2025-11-05; GUTSELL, Kevin Andrew resigned 2026-05-14

🔒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 · Education & training · CT postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
A MUTUALLY ASSOCIATED DEPTFORD COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECT COALITION ("A MADCAP COALITION")→ 07517851 · est 2011 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—
ACED QUALIFICATIONS LTD→ 14427184 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
ACTION PLUS (UK) LTD→ 08524553 · est 2013 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
AMACSPORTS LIMITED→ 04779660 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—
AMELIX EDUCATION RESOURCES LIMITED→ 08565292 · est 2013 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
APEX STUDENT RECRUITS LIMITED→ 15573355 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ARISE ATHLETE CLUB LTD→ 15495426 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ASPIRA TRAINING LIMITED→ 07176564 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	16y	—	—
ASSISTIVE TUITION LIMITED→ 11693032 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
ASSOCIATION OF NEPHROLOGY NURSES UK LIMITED→ 13178188 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
ATRIUM EDUCATION LTD→ 13999244 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
AUDIOPI LIMITED→ 09492924 · est 2015 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	11y	—	—

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

Typeprivate-limited-guarant-nsc

Incorporated1986-04-21

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC85320 — Technical and vocational secondary education

Registered office

Unit 2 Court Lodges Godmersham Park

Godmersham

Canterbury

CT4 7DT

England

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-06-20

Last: 2025-06-06