ANNESS PUBLISHING LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

02375310 · ltd · incorporated 1989-04-24

Investment thesis

Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.

Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.

Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Jan 2025

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

77/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Book publishing

Sector: Information & communication

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 8 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

14 live charges · 8 lenders · oldest 34.5y

35/100

too messy

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

· Oldest live charge is 34.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 8 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 40/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: high (82/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

14 charges (14/14 with lender, 14/14 with type)

Directors & officers

14 officers (3 active, 14 linked, 13 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

7 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

166 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

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

Some moderate concerns — review flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

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 · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2025-01-31	2024-01-31
Average employees	900	900

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 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

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (71 events)Click to expand

2025-12-31
➖
SUDELL, Helen resigned
director
2025-12-31
➖
WORLEY, Benjamin James resigned
director
2025-12-31
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-31
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termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-31
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-14
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-08
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-01
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-05
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-03
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
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mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2020-05-27
🔓
Charge satisfied #14
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #13
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #12
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #11
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #10
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #9
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #8
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #7
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #6
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #5
2020-05-27
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Charge satisfied #4
2020-05-27
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2012-11-15
➖
HILL, Simon Andrew resigned
director
2012-04-04
🔒
Charge registered #14
Lender: Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited
2011-05-03
🔒
Charge registered #13
Lender: Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited
2011-04-04
🔒
Charge registered #12
Lender: Steinberger Developments Limited
2010-09-21
🔒
Charge registered #11
Lender: Top Shop Centres Limited
2010-03-26
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Charge registered #10
Lender: Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited
2009-12-15
🔒
Charge registered #9
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
2009-08-26
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Charge registered #8
Lender: Tops Shop Centres Limited
2009-07-17
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Charge registered #7
Lender: Csc Properties Investments Limited
2008-03-06
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Charge registered #6
Lender: Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited
2007-11-09
➖
THOMPSON, Nicholas Roy resigned
director
2006-01-31
➖
SIMONS, Judith Margaret resigned
director
2004-12-24
➖
WOOD, Amanda Dorothy resigned
director
2004-07-30
➖
LIE, Denise Mary resigned
director
2003-09-09
➕
SIMONS, Judith Margaret appointed
director
2003-09-09
➕
SUDELL, Helen appointed
director
2003-07-01
➕
WOOD, Amanda Dorothy appointed
director

Showing most recent 50 of 71 events

Owner dependency

98/100

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

+Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ANNESS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 37 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

2 med ·

2 director resignations in last 12 months

medium

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

Evidence: SUDELL, Helen resigned 2025-12-31; WORLEY, Benjamin James resigned 2025-12-31

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

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 Paul Leonard Anness Individual · British · DOB 11/1955 · age 71	75–100%	75–100%	75-100% shares · 75-100% voting	06/04/2016

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 · Technology · CM postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
ALAN MOULSDALE CONSULTING LIMITED→ 10269251 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	9y	—	—
ALLONZY LTD→ 15281053 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ANAXI EDUCATION LTD→ 15357396 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ANCHORSTACK LTD→ 17100743 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ANNEKI SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 16848078 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ANTO LIMITED→ 16512482 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ANVIME CONSULTING LTD→ 07676741 · est 2011 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	14y	—	—
APA SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 11897836 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
APEIRO TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 13927103 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
APERIO SOFTWARE LIMITED→ 10639541 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	9y	—	—
APESKI LIMITED→ 13884548 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
APEX AUTOMATE LTD→ 15803753 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—

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

Incorporated1989-04-24

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC58110 — Book publishing

Registered office

3 Warners Mill

Silks Way

Braintree

Essex

CM7 3GB

United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-10-31

Last made up to: 2025-01-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-11-14

Last: 2025-10-31

Officers (3 active · 11 resigned)

LORENZ, Joanna→

secretary

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

ANNESS, Paul Leonard→

director · ~71y

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

LORENZ, Joanna→

director · ~64y · appointed 1995-09-01

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

HILL, Simon Andrew→

director · ~64y · appointed 1998-03-25 · resigned 2012-11-15

Resigned

LIE, Denise Mary→

director · ~74y · appointed 1996-02-01 · resigned 2004-07-30

Resigned

MCGORRY, Thomas Joseph→

director · ~70y · appointed 2000-10-24 · resigned 2003-02-28

Resigned

SIMONS, Judith Margaret→

director · ~66y · appointed 2003-09-09 · resigned 2006-01-31

Resigned

SMITH, Vincent Patrick→

director · ~76y · appointed 1998-03-25 · resigned 1998-09-30

Resigned

SUDELL, Helen→

director · ~65y · appointed 2003-09-09 · resigned 2025-12-31

Resigned

THOMPSON, Nicholas Roy→

director · ~64y · appointed 1999-02-17 · resigned 2007-11-09

Resigned

WALLACE, John Wickham→

director · ~76y · appointed 1999-03-01 · resigned 2000-08-10

Resigned

WOOD, Amanda Dorothy→

director · ~52y · appointed 2003-07-01 · resigned 2004-12-24

Resigned

WOODCOCK, Robert Stephen→

director · ~57y · appointed 2001-08-21 · resigned 2003-03-01

Resigned

WORLEY, Benjamin James→

director · ~57y · appointed 2002-05-10 · resigned 2025-12-31

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:14 of 14 shown

		Type	Properties
satisfied	Possfund Custodian Trustee Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited	Rent deposit deed	1 property	04/04/2012	27/05/2020
satisfied	Possfund Custodian Trustee Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited	Rent deposit deed	1 property	03/05/2011	27/05/2020
satisfied	Steinberger Developments Steinberger Developments Limited	Deposit agreement	1 property	04/04/2011	27/05/2020
satisfied	Top Shop Centres Top Shop Centres Limited	Rent deposit deed	1 property	21/09/2010	27/05/2020
satisfied	Possfund Custodian Trustee Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited	Lease	1 property	26/03/2010	27/05/2020
satisfied	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Guarantee & debenture	1 property	15/12/2009	27/05/2020
satisfied	Tops Shop Centres Tops Shop Centres Limited	Rent deposit deed	1 property	26/08/2009	27/05/2020
satisfied	Csc Properties Investments Csc Properties Investments Limited	Deed of deposit	1 property	17/07/2009	27/05/2020
satisfied	Possfund Custodian Trustee Possfund Custodian Trustee Limited	Lease	1 property	06/03/2008	27/05/2020
satisfied	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Fixed charge over copyright, design rights and trade names	1 property	29/03/2000	27/05/2020
satisfied	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Fixed charge supplemental to a debenture dated 30TH april 1998 issued by the company	1 property	11/05/1998	27/05/2020
satisfied	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Debenture	1 property	30/04/1998	27/05/2020
satisfied	Euro Sales Finance Euro Sales Finance PLC	Debenture	1 property	25/03/1998	14/03/2000
satisfied	National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC	Mortgage debenture	1 property	27/01/1992	17/06/1998

Recent filings (166 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2025-12-31

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2025-12-31

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2025-10-31