AB FAB BOOKS LTD
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)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 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-6.0k | £-6.1k |
| Current assets | £1.5k | £3.1k |
| Net assets | £-6.0k | £-6.1k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 gazette
- • 1 gazette
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-14📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2025-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-04📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-05📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-01-17📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2009-12-11🏢Company incorporatedAs AB FAB BOOKS LTD
- 2009-12-11➕RICHARDSON, Barbara Maria 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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 17 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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.
Red flags
1 high ·Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-01-14
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Barbara Maria Richardson Individual · British · DOB 08/1961 · age 65 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 31/12/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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9 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 · 0 resigned)
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