ABBYY UK LTD
Opportunity 79/100 (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: 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).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 2.8y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Newest facility, 2.8 years old — likely still in initial term.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 2000 | 0 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
- • 1 accounts
- • 2 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-10-06📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-09-27📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2023-09-19📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-09-19📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-09-15🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as Security Trustee for Itself and the Other Secured Parties (As Defined in the Instrument)
- 2023-09-15🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as Security Trustee for Itself and the Other Secured Parties (As Defined in the Instrument)
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-06-29📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-26📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC08
- 2021-05-25📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-12-18➕PERSSON, Ulf Christer appointeddirector
- 2019-12-18➖STOEPETIE, Johannes resigneddirector
- 2017-08-21➖ERNST, Markus resignedsecretary
- 2006-12-28🏢Company incorporatedAs ABBYY UK LTD
- 2006-12-28➕ERNST, Markus appointedsecretary
- 2006-12-28➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-12-28➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-12-28➕STOEPETIE, Johannes appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as Security Trustee for Itself and the Other Secured Parties (As Defined in the Instrument) | A registered charge | — | 15/09/2023 | — | |
| outstanding | Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as Security Trustee for Itself and the Other Secured Parties (As Defined in the Instrument) | A registered charge | — | 15/09/2023 | — |