BILLY BOWMAN MUSIC LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05292197 · ltd · incorporated 2004-11-19
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£102
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of musical instruments and scores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 88-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 88). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
54 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 £102
Net assets shrinking
Down £6,414 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£102
↓ 98% YoY
Current Assets
£128k
↓ 11% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.7k | £11.0k |
| Current assets | £127.9k | £143.8k |
| Net assets | £102 | £6.5k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-11-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-11-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-19➖BOWMAN, Billy resigneddirector
- 2022-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2004-11-19🏢Company incorporatedAs BILLY BOWMAN MUSIC LIMITED
- 2004-11-19➕OSBORNE, Janet Noleen appointedsecretary
- 2004-11-19➕BOWMAN, Margaret appointeddirector
- 2004-11-19➕OSBORNE, Janet Noleen appointeddirector
- 2004-11-19➕BOWMAN, Billy appointeddirector
Owner dependency
98/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BOWMAN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 88 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 88 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Janet Noleen Osborne Individual · British · DOB 12/1959 · age 67 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 19/11/2022 |
Mrs Margaret Bowman Individual · British · DOB 12/1938 · age 88 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Billy Bowmanceased 19/11/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Retail · CA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS3 PERFORMANCE LIMITED→ 13127519 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BILLY BOGEY LIMITED→ 12600303 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BY MOLLY&IZZIE LTD→ 11161345 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CAD MEDICAL LTD→ 14958811 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CAPTIVITAS LTD→ 12690291 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CARLISLE BUSINESS SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 04491955 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| CARLISLE EMBROIDERY LIMITED→ 04833237 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| CARLISLE STEEL SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 13114341 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CAROL'S BRIDAL LTD→ 16011838 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CARTRIDGE 2 PRINT LIMITED→ 09088835 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| CASTLEGATE HOUSE GALLERY LIMITED→ 07947542 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CASUALIST LIMITED→ 16723340 · 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
Incorporated2004-11-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47591 — Retail sale of musical instruments and scores
Registered office
5 Lowther Went, South Street
Cockermouth
Cumbria
CA13 9RT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-03
Last: 2025-11-19
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
OSBORNE, Janet Noleen→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-11-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOWMAN, Margaret→
Activedirector · ~88y · appointed 2004-11-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSBORNE, Janet Noleen→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2004-11-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOWMAN, Billy→
Resigneddirector · ~90y · appointed 2004-11-19 · resigned 2022-11-19
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (54 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-30
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-11-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-11-30
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-11-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-07-20