ALFRED READER & COMPANY LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
03410470 · ltd · incorporated 1997-07-28
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 27.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 32300
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 76). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 27.4y

65/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 27.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (58/100)

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
13 officers (4 active, 13 linked, 8 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
100 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (39 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-04-02
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2024-04-02
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  5. 2024-03-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-03-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-03-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-12-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-11-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-05-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-03-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-03-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-12-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-08-10
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2015-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2014-09-01
    ➕
    THOMPSON, Peter William appointed
    director
  17. 2014-09-01
    ➕
    THOMPSON, Ross Edward appointed
    director
  18. 2014-08-31
    ➖
    ELLIOT, Robert George resigned
    director
  19. 2002-02-20
    ➕
    ELLIOT, Brett Robert appointed
    secretary
  20. 2002-02-20
    ➕
    ELLIOT, Brett Robert appointed
    director
  21. 2002-02-20
    ➖
    BAKER, Anne resigned
    secretary
  22. 2002-02-20
    ➕
    ELLIOT, Robert George appointed
    director
  23. 2002-02-20
    ➖
    LUDGATE, Peter resigned
    director
  24. 2002-02-20
    ➖
    WELLBELOVE, Mark John resigned
    director
  25. 2001-01-31
    ➖
    AMES, Franklin Henry resigned
    director
  26. 2000-12-01
    ➕
    BAKER, Anne appointed
    secretary
  27. 2000-12-01
    ➖
    ROGERSON, Kim Joyce resigned
    secretary
  28. 2000-12-01
    ➖
    READER, David Charlton resigned
    director
  29. 1999-01-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  30. 1998-02-01
    ➕
    AMES, Franklin Henry appointed
    director
  31. 1998-02-01
    ➕
    LUDGATE, Peter appointed
    director
  32. 1997-12-01
    ➕
    READER, David Charlton appointed
    director
  33. 1997-07-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ALFRED READER & COMPANY LIMITED
  34. 1997-07-28
    ➕
    ROGERSON, Kim Joyce appointed
    secretary
  35. 1997-07-28
    ➕
    L.C.I. SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  36. 1997-07-28
    ➖
    L.C.I. SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 1997-07-28
    ➕
    WELLBELOVE, Mark John appointed
    director
  38. 1997-07-28
    ➕
    L.C.I. DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  39. 1997-07-28
    ➖
    L.C.I. DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
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
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100
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 76 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Kookaburra Reader Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Kookaburra Reader Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
ALFRED READER & COMPANY LIMITED
This company · 03410470

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Kookaburra Reader Ltd
Corporate entity
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/07/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1997-07-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32300 — SIC 32300

Registered office

3 Brakey Road
Brakey Road Weldon North Industrial Estate
Corby
Northamptonshire
NN17 5LU

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-11
Last: 2025-07-28

Officers (4 active · 9 resigned)

ELLIOT, Brett Robert→
secretary · appointed 2002-02-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ELLIOT, Brett Robert→
director · ~57y · appointed 2002-02-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
THOMPSON, Peter William→
director · ~76y · appointed 2014-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
THOMPSON, Ross Edward→
director · ~69y · appointed 2014-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAKER, Anne→
secretary · appointed 2000-12-01 · resigned 2002-02-20
Resigned
ROGERSON, Kim Joyce→
secretary · appointed 1997-07-28 · resigned 2000-12-01
Resigned
L.C.I. SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-07-28 · resigned 1997-07-28
Resigned
AMES, Franklin Henry→
director · ~82y · appointed 1998-02-01 · resigned 2001-01-31
Resigned
ELLIOT, Robert George→
director · ~83y · appointed 2002-02-20 · resigned 2014-08-31
Resigned
LUDGATE, Peter→
director · ~73y · appointed 1998-02-01 · resigned 2002-02-20
Resigned
READER, David Charlton→
director · ~87y · appointed 1997-12-01 · resigned 2000-12-01
Resigned
WELLBELOVE, Mark John→
director · ~63y · appointed 1997-07-28 · resigned 2002-02-20
Resigned
L.C.I. DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-07-28 · resigned 1997-07-28
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property15/01/1999—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (100 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-02
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-03-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-03-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-03-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-12-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-11-13