ACCESS BOOKINGS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04758650 · ltd · incorporated 2003-05-09
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£15.30M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other reservation service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 76). 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 14.5y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 14.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
68 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £15,295,779
Cash YoY
+163%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£2.1m
↑ 163% YoY
Net Worth
£15m
↑ 8.8% YoY
Current Assets
£7.0m
↓ 4.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£3.1m£6.1m£9.2m£12m£15mJul 2024Jul 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-07-312024-07-31
Total assets£15.30M£14.06M
Current assets£6.98M£7.29M
Cash£2.14M£816.4k
Debtors£4.83M£6.48M
Net assets£15.30M£14.06M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-09-12
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  3. 2025-09-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  4. 2025-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-07-15
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  6. 2024-07-15
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2024-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-11-07
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  9. 2023-09-29
    ➖
    BRETT, Ian Taylor resigned
    director
  10. 2023-06-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2023-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2022-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2020-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2020-03-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2020-03-18
    ➖
    SCHOFIELD, Eileen Frances resigned
    director
  17. 2019-04-05
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AAMD
  18. 2019-03-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-05-24
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  20. 2018-05-24
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  21. 2018-05-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  22. 2018-05-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  23. 2018-05-15
    📍
    move-registers-to-sail-company-with-new-address
    address · AD03
  24. 2017-04-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  25. 2015-08-15
    ➕
    SCHOFIELD, Eileen Frances appointed
    director
  26. 2012-11-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  27. 2011-11-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  28. 2003-05-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACCESS BOOKINGS LIMITED
  29. 2003-05-09
    ➕
    BARNES, Patricia Mia appointed
    secretary
  30. 2003-05-09
    ➕
    BARNES, Patricia Mia appointed
    director
  31. 2003-05-09
    ➕
    CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 2003-05-09
    ➖
    CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  33. 2003-05-09
    ➕
    BRETT, Ian Taylor 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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
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.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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 med ·
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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Patricia Mia Barnes
Individual · British · DOB 05/1950 · age 76
—75–100%75-100% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Ian Taylor Brettceased 29/09/2023· 25-50% voting

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

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
Incorporated2003-05-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC79909 — Other reservation service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Highlawns
53a Tamworth Road
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS14 9HG

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-23
Last: 2025-05-09

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

BARNES, Patricia Mia→
secretary · appointed 2003-05-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARNES, Patricia Mia→
director · ~76y · appointed 2003-05-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-05-09 · resigned 2003-05-09
Resigned
BRETT, Ian Taylor→
director · ~83y · appointed 2003-05-09 · resigned 2023-09-29
Resigned
SCHOFIELD, Eileen Frances→
director · ~64y · appointed 2015-08-15 · resigned 2020-03-18
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property10/09/2025—
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge—20/04/2017—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Legal charge1 property30/11/201224/05/2018
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Debenture1 property17/11/201124/05/2018
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (68 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2026-04-30
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2025-04-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-07-15
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-07-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-30
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-11-07
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-06-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-12