ERICAM LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
05586708 · ltd · incorporated 2005-10-07
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£18.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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 (76/100)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
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
62 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 £18,384
Net assets shrinking
Down £73,888 YoY
Cash YoY
+53%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£23k
↑ 53% YoY
Net Worth
£18k
↓ 80% YoY
Current Assets
£48k
↓ 57% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £18.4k | £92.3k |
| Current assets | £48.3k | £113.7k |
| Cash | £23.3k | £15.3k |
| Debtors | £25.0k | £98.4k |
| Net assets | £18.4k | £92.3k |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-01📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-10-01📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-09-30➖CRAVEN, Anne Marie resignedsecretary
- 2024-09-30➖CRAVEN, Anne Marie resigneddirector
- 2024-07-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-26📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-04-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-14📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-03-14📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-14📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-03-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2005-10-14➕CRAVEN, Richard Eric appointeddirector
- 2005-10-14➕CRAVEN, Anne Marie appointedsecretary
- 2005-10-14➕CRAVEN, Anne Marie appointeddirector
- 2005-10-10➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-10-10➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2005-10-07🏢Company incorporatedAs ERICAM LIMITED
- 2005-10-07➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-10-07➕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 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — 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 61. 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 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Richard Eric Craven Individual · British · DOB 04/1965 · age 61 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Anne Marie Cravenceased 22/04/2024· 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 · Financial services · PR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELAINE LUCAS LIMITED→ 08264508 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ELEMCAZA LIMITED→ 16538263 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ENTERPRISE VENTURES GROUP LIMITED→ 04161494 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| EP GEN LTD→ 16876561 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| EQUITY RELEASE 4 US LIMITED→ 14190455 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| EVBL (GENERAL PARTNER FY SMALL LOANS) LIMITED→ 07222495 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| EVBL SME INVESTMENT LIMITED→ 08901796 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| EVERGREEN PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED→ 12588921 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| EVOLUTION BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 11024417 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| EXCELSIOR MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED→ 05978821 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| EXEL FINANCE LIMITED→ 12524957 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| F. BERRY (LEYLAND) LIMITED→ 01075421 · est 1972 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 53y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2005-10-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66190 — Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Registered office
45 Lower Bank Road Fulwood
Preston
Lancashire
PR2 8NT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-14
Last: 2025-09-30
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
CRAVEN, Richard Eric→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2005-10-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CRAVEN, Anne Marie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-10-14 · resigned 2024-09-30
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-10-07 · resigned 2005-10-10
CRAVEN, Anne Marie→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2005-10-14 · resigned 2024-09-30
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-10-07 · resigned 2005-10-10
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (62 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-18
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-10-01
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-02
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-04-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-15
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-03-14
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-03-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-16