ERIC LIMITED
⚰️Wound downdissolved
02653016 · ltd · incorporated 1991-10-10
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
63/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: Other publishing activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (55/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
15 officers (3 active, 15 linked, 7 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
104 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
63/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
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 (47 events)Click to expand
- 2023-01-24📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2023-01-24🏁Company dissolved
- 2022-10-25📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2022-10-17📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2021-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-10📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-01-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-10-11📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2012-10-20📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2001-04-24➕WILLAN, John Anthony appointedsecretary
- 2001-04-24➕COBB, Michael George appointeddirector
- 2001-04-24➕WILLAN, John Anthony appointeddirector
- 2001-04-24➖OWEN, Zoe Gale resignedsecretary
- 2001-04-24➖BICKLEY, John Charles resigneddirector
- 2001-04-24➖BROWN, James Gordon resigneddirector
- 2001-04-24➖BROWN, Nigel Wooldridge resigneddirector
- 2000-12-08➖JONES, Elizabeth Ann resignedsecretary
- 2000-12-08➖JONES, Elizabeth Ann resigneddirector
- 2000-11-24➕OWEN, Zoe Gale appointedsecretary
- 2000-01-28➕BICKLEY, John Charles appointeddirector
- 2000-01-28➕JONES, Elizabeth Ann appointeddirector
- 2000-01-17➖PUCKRIDGE, Anthony resigneddirector
- 1998-06-29➖BROWN, Fiona Mary Campbell resignedsecretary
- 1998-06-29➕JONES, Elizabeth Ann appointedsecretary
- 1994-09-28➕BROWN, Fiona Mary Campbell appointedsecretary
- 1994-09-28➖PURKISS, Richard Frank resignedsecretary
- 1993-03-01➖JARVIS, Rona Christine resignedsecretary
- 1993-03-01➕PURKISS, Richard Frank appointedsecretary
- 1991-11-11➕JARVIS, Rona Christine appointedsecretary
- 1991-11-11➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1991-11-11➕BROWN, James Gordon appointeddirector
- 1991-11-11➕BROWN, Nigel Wooldridge appointeddirector
- 1991-11-11➕PUCKRIDGE, Anthony appointeddirector
- 1991-11-11➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1991-10-10🏢Company incorporatedAs ERIC LIMITED
- 1991-10-10➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1991-10-10➕INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 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 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 35 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
1 high ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2023-01-24
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael George Cobb Individual · British · DOB 01/1943 · age 83 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 10/10/2016 |
Mr John Anthony Willan Individual · English · DOB 02/1943 · age 83 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 10/10/2016 |
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.
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
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 →🔒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
Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1991-10-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC58190 — Other publishing activities
Registered office
54 Hertford Street
Cambridge
CB4 3AQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2021-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 12 resigned)
WILLAN, John Anthony→
Activesecretary · appointed 2001-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COBB, Michael George→
Activedirector · ~83y · appointed 2001-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WILLAN, John Anthony→
Activedirector · ~83y · appointed 2001-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BROWN, Fiona Mary Campbell→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1994-09-28 · resigned 1998-06-29
JARVIS, Rona Christine→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1991-11-11 · resigned 1993-03-01
JONES, Elizabeth Ann→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-06-29 · resigned 2000-12-08
OWEN, Zoe Gale→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-11-24 · resigned 2001-04-24
PURKISS, Richard Frank→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1993-03-01 · resigned 1994-09-28
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1991-10-10 · resigned 1991-11-11
BICKLEY, John Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · appointed 2000-01-28 · resigned 2001-04-24
BROWN, James Gordon→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 1991-11-11 · resigned 2001-04-24
BROWN, Nigel Wooldridge→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · appointed 1991-11-11 · resigned 2001-04-24
JONES, Elizabeth Ann→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · appointed 2000-01-28 · resigned 2000-12-08
PUCKRIDGE, Anthony→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 1991-11-11 · resigned 2000-01-17
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1991-10-10 · resigned 1991-11-11
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (104 total)
gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2023-01-24
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2022-10-25
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2022-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-01-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-01-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2018-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2017-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2016-12-31