ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS LTD.

💤Zombieactive
03498343 · ltd · incorporated 1998-01-23
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2025
Net worth
£100
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other publishing activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 75). 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).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 3 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
69 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £100
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£100
~ YoY
Net Worth
£100
~ YoY
Current Assets
£100
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£20£40£60£80£100Jan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£100£100
Current assets£100£100
Cash£100£100
Net assets£100£100

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal 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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-03-16
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  6. 2021-10-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-10-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-02-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-03-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-01-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-06-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-01-23
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-02-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  16. 2010-02-15
    ➕
    CLOUGH, Susan Lois appointed
    secretary
  17. 2010-02-15
    ➕
    CLOUGH, Stephen, Dr appointed
    director
  18. 2010-02-15
    ➖
    CLOUGH, Helen Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  19. 2010-02-15
    ➖
    CLOUGH, Susan Lois resigned
    director
  20. 2004-01-25
    ➕
    CLOUGH, Helen Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  21. 2004-01-25
    ➖
    CLOUGH, Stephen, Dr resigned
    secretary
  22. 2002-01-28
    ➕
    CLOUGH, Stephen, Dr appointed
    secretary
  23. 2002-01-28
    ➖
    HOLMES, Elizabeth Ann resigned
    secretary
  24. 2002-01-28
    ➖
    HOLMES, Elizabeth Ann resigned
    director
  25. 1998-01-23
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS LTD.
  26. 1998-01-23
    ➕
    HOLMES, Elizabeth Ann appointed
    secretary
  27. 1998-01-23
    ➕
    CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 1998-01-23
    ➖
    CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 1998-01-23
    ➕
    CLOUGH, Susan Lois appointed
    director
  30. 1998-01-23
    ➕
    HOLMES, Elizabeth Ann appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

98/100
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 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Dr Stephen Clough
Individual · British · DOB 07/1951 · age 75
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 →

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ADSVENTURES (MARKETING) LIMITED→
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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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1998-01-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC58190 — Other publishing activities

Registered office

C/O Brays
Riverview Court, Castle Gate
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS22 6LE
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-06
Last: 2026-01-23

Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)

CLOUGH, Susan Lois→
secretary · appointed 2010-02-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CLOUGH, Stephen, Dr→
director · ~75y · appointed 2010-02-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CLOUGH, Helen Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2004-01-25 · resigned 2010-02-15
Resigned
CLOUGH, Stephen, Dr→
secretary · appointed 2002-01-28 · resigned 2004-01-25
Resigned
HOLMES, Elizabeth Ann→
secretary · appointed 1998-01-23 · resigned 2002-01-28
Resigned
CHETTLEBURGH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-01-23 · resigned 1998-01-23
Resigned
CLOUGH, Susan Lois→
director · ~76y · appointed 1998-01-23 · resigned 2010-02-15
Resigned
HOLMES, Elizabeth Ann→
director · ~64y · appointed 1998-01-23 · resigned 2002-01-28
Resigned

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

Recent filings (69 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-10-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-10-25
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-03-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-10-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-10-16