COOKS & BOOKS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04966291 · ltd · incorporated 2003-11-17
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 Nov 2024
Net worth
£22.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10720
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 69202Bookkeeping activities
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). 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 (75/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 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
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
52 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 102Positive net assets
Net assets £22,181
Cash YoY
+6%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£25k
↑ 6.1% YoY
Net Worth
£22k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£26k
↑ 12% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £22.2k | £22.1k |
| Current assets | £26.1k | £23.4k |
| Cash | £24.8k | £23.4k |
| Debtors | £1.3k | £0 |
| Net assets | £22.2k | £22.1k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-18📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-05-07➖SIMPSON, Robert Mark resignedsecretary
- 2021-12-01📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-03📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2018-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-21📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2003-11-22➕SIMPSON, Helen Vanessa appointeddirector
- 2003-11-22➕SIMPSON, Robert Mark appointedsecretary
- 2003-11-20➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-11-20➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-11-17🏢Company incorporatedAs COOKS & BOOKS LIMITED
- 2003-11-17➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-11-17➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Helen Vanessa Simpson Individual · British · DOB 02/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Food & drink · WA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIMIA FOODS LIMITED→ 01542173 · est 1981 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 45y | — | — |
| BEACH HOUSE SPIRITS LTD→ 14260501 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BENSONS PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 06505425 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BEYOND DARK LIMITED→ 15912906 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BREWING COLLECTIVE LTD→ 07636512 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BRIGHTER FOODS LIMITED→ 08815259 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| CAKE GALLERY HALE LIMITED→ 07170405 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| CHESHIRE CAKES LTD→ 13507388 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| CINDERBAKE LTD→ 14973217 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| COKO GROUP LIMITED→ 13020299 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| COLEMAN’S COOKING LTD→ 13032261 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CREME 'N' CAKE CHESHIRE LIMITED→ 16558466 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-11-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10720 — SIC 10720
Registered office
19 Egerton Drive
Hale
Cheshire
WA15 8EF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-14
Last: 2025-11-30
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
SIMPSON, Helen Vanessa→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2003-11-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SIMPSON, Robert Mark→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-11-22 · resigned 2022-05-07
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-11-17 · resigned 2003-11-20
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-11-17 · resigned 2003-11-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (52 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-08-31
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-05-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-01
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2021-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-11-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-02