5FOUR PAYROLL BUREAU LIMITED
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. 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 (58/100).
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.
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 |
|---|
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 accounts
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 officers
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-12-31➖JEWITT, Andrew Keith resigneddirector
- 2019-06-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-18📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-08-17➕JEWITT, Andrew Keith appointeddirector
- 2009-12-21🏢Company incorporatedAs 5FOUR PAYROLL BUREAU LIMITED
- 2009-12-21➕STEELE, Andrew Mark appointeddirector
- 2009-12-21➕KAHAN, Barbara appointeddirector
- 2009-12-21➖KAHAN, Barbara resigneddirector
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 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Mark Steele Individual · British · DOB 11/1971 · age 55 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Other · HU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABSOLUTELY FIBREGLASS LTD→ 15768082 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACCESS FLOORING ASSOCIATION LIMITED→ 02128149 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| ACETECH ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 12655707 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AFG PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND RENTALS LLP→ OC452132 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AGENDA FIVE LIMITED→ 15223607 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AIRCO LIMITED→ 13138079 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AIRCO PROPERTY HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 03418416 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| AK GOOD GROUP LIMITED→ 14398921 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALFORD LIMITED→ 07426486 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ALLAM MARINE LIMITED→ 16200640 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALMARR SEAFOODS LIMITED→ 02686318 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
| ALTASS-CHESHIRE LIMITED→ 10439545 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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 · 2 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.