4U2B LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04884817 · ltd · incorporated 2003-09-02
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 Mar 2026
Net worth
£1.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of insurance agents and brokers
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 69-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 69). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Deleverage or restructure. Leverage at 100% of assets — consider sale of non-core assets or equity injection. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
91 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,439
High leverage
Liabilities are 100% of total assets
Net assets shrinking
Down £3,880 YoY
Leverage
100%
Liabilities / Total assets
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£1k
↓ 73% YoY
Current Assets
£7k
↓ 40% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2026-03-31 | 2025-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £7.9k | £13.7k |
| Current assets | £6.8k | £11.4k |
| Net assets | £1.4k | £5.3k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-31📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-07-31📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-07-31📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-04-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-18📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-03-18📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2023-11-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-10-06📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-08-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-08-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-08-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-04-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-20📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-12-01➖KNOWLES, Sally resigneddirector
- 2016-04-01➕KNOWLES, Sally appointeddirector
- 2012-11-30➖AUSTIN, Paul Campbell resignedsecretary
- 2012-11-30➖AUSTIN, Paul Campbell resigneddirector
- 2008-02-29➖PLANT, Jonathan Charles Lainchbury resigneddirector
- 2006-12-18➕PLANT, Jonathan Charles Lainchbury appointeddirector
- 2005-01-13➖SCOTT BARRETT, Tim resigneddirector
- 2003-09-02🏢Company incorporatedAs 4U2B LIMITED
- 2003-09-02➕KNOWLES, Philip Andrew appointeddirector
- 2003-09-02➕AUSTIN, Paul Campbell appointedsecretary
- 2003-09-02➕ASHBURTON REGISTRARS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-09-02➖ASHBURTON REGISTRARS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-09-02➕AUSTIN, Paul Campbell appointeddirector
- 2003-09-02➕SCOTT BARRETT, Tim appointeddirector
- 2003-09-02➕AR NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-09-02➖AR NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +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 69 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 69. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Philip Andrew Knowles Individual · British · DOB 12/1957 · age 69 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 01/06/2016 |
Mrs Mary Sally Knowles Individual · British · DOB 06/1955 · age 71 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 30/08/2023 |
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 · Financial services · WR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A WAY WITH PROPERTY LIMITED→ 16127689 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABBEVILLE PIERCE CAPITAL LTD→ 16825210 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADAM SMITH FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 10803190 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AEGF 2 LTD→ 05893079 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| AJG ACTUARIAL LTD→ 10878661 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ALPHA BROKERS SERVICES LTD→ 16065770 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALPHA COMMERCIAL BROKERS LTD→ 16811326 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALPHA MIX LTD→ 09100644 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ALTERNATIVE MASON INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 13241941 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ANDREW DEY FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 12278344 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ASTUTE WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD→ 06747603 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ATD BUSINESS LTD→ 11893479 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated2003-09-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66220 — Activities of insurance agents and brokers
Registered office
16 Queen Street
2nd Floor Independence House
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR1 2PL
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-13
Last: 2025-08-30
Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)
KNOWLES, Philip Andrew→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 2003-09-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
AUSTIN, Paul Campbell→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-09-02 · resigned 2012-11-30
ASHBURTON REGISTRARS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-09-02 · resigned 2003-09-02
AUSTIN, Paul Campbell→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2003-09-02 · resigned 2012-11-30
KNOWLES, Sally→
Resigneddirector · ~71y · appointed 2016-04-01 · resigned 2016-12-01
PLANT, Jonathan Charles Lainchbury→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2006-12-18 · resigned 2008-02-29
SCOTT BARRETT, Tim→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 2003-09-02 · resigned 2005-01-13
AR NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-09-02 · resigned 2003-09-02
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (91 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-31
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-07-31
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-07-31
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-07-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-04-15
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-03-18
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-03-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-23
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-23
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-10-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-05
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-08-30