ARCMEDIA LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05435588 · ltd · incorporated 2005-04-26
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 21.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£99.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 21.0y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
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
71 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £99,322
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£99k
↑ 3.4% YoY
Current Assets
£165k
↓ 14% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £110.4k | £102.0k |
| Current assets | £165.4k | £191.4k |
| Net assets | £99.3k | £96.0k |
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 (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-08📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-04-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-09-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-09-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-09-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2007-11-06🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2005-07-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2005-05-21➕BANCROFT, Benjamin James Warwick appointedsecretary
- 2005-05-21➕JACKS, Christopher appointeddirector
- 2005-05-21➖BANCROFT, Roy John resignedsecretary
- 2005-04-26🏢Company incorporatedAs ARCMEDIA LIMITED
- 2005-04-26➕BANCROFT, Benjamin James Warwick appointeddirector
- 2005-04-26➕BANCROFT, Roy John appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
68/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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 Benjamin James Warwick Bancroft Individual · British · DOB 11/1977 · age 49 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Christopher Jacks Individual · English · DOB 05/1978 · age 48 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Trade services · FY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A V SPARK ACCESS LTD→ 10588747 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A VOICE FOR THE ANIMALS LIMITED→ 15121146 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| APPROACH LANDSCAPES AND GROUND WORK LTD→ 13763602 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ARAZ'S BARBER SHOP LTD→ 11048833 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ARCHETYPAL DESIGN LTD→ 08465244 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AS DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED→ 04562328 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| AS NEW CONSERVATORIES LTD→ 17092720 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASHBOLD PARTNERS LTD→ 13613435 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ASM HOLDINGS 2023 LTD→ 14552891 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASPIRE H & B LTD→ 07966299 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ASPIRELY LIMITED→ 15177855 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASSESS CLAIM REPAIR LTD→ 16831897 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2005-04-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
17 St Peters Place
Fleetwood
Lancashire
FY7 6EB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-06
Last: 2026-04-22
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
BANCROFT, Benjamin James Warwick→
Activesecretary · appointed 2005-05-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BANCROFT, Benjamin James Warwick→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2005-04-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JACKS, Christopher→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2005-05-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BANCROFT, Roy John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-04-26 · resigned 2005-05-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 06/11/2007 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 28/07/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (71 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-04-08
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-04-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-04-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-04-08