1ST CLASS MAILING LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
06912092 · ltd · incorporated 2009-05-21
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 9.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Postal activities under universal service obligation
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Conservative operator with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (85/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · oldest 9.7y

95/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 9.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
  • · Profitable and stable/growing — lender coverage supportable.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
48 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Profitable
Profit before tax £44,091

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£132k£264k£396k£528k£659kMay 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Gross profit£149.4k—
Operating profit£44.1k—
Profit before tax£44.1k—
Total assets—£676.3k
Current assets—£659.4k
Cash—£299.4k
Debtors—£352.3k
Net assets—£618.0k
Average employees0—

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 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-07-04
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-01-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-10-18
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  8. 2021-01-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-06-24
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2020-06-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  11. 2020-02-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-01-24
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2018-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-05-21
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  15. 2018-05-16
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  16. 2018-05-16
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  17. 2018-05-16
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  18. 2018-05-16
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  19. 2017-09-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2016-10-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  21. 2016-10-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  22. 2016-08-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  23. 2010-06-01
    ➕
    HENDERSON, Stephen Paul appointed
    director
  24. 2009-05-21
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As 1ST CLASS MAILING LIMITED
  25. 2009-05-21
    ➕
    REEVELL, Paul appointed
    director

Owner dependency

81/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 17 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

69/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Stephen Henderson
Individual · English · DOB 11/1972 · age 54
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting21/05/2017
Mr Paul Reevell
Individual · English · DOB 05/1965 · age 61
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting21/05/2017

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated2009-05-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC53100 — Postal activities under universal service obligation

Registered office

Q16 Quorum Business Park
Benton Lane
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tyne And Wear
NE12 8BX
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-03
Last: 2025-05-20

Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)

HENDERSON, Stephen Paul→
director · ~54y · appointed 2010-06-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
REEVELL, Paul→
director · ~61y · appointed 2009-05-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property26/10/201616/05/2018
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property26/10/201616/05/2018
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge—26/08/201624/06/2020

Recent filings (48 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-01-24
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-07-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-01-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-01-12
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-10-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-01-11
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2020-06-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-01