BFL PENNINE LTD

💤Zombieactive
07120527 · ltd · incorporated 2010-01-08
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 May 2025
Net worth
£-4.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

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: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -59% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 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
36 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £4,703
Net assets shrinking
Down £7,508 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 59% YoY
Cash YoY
-59%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£4k
↓ 59% YoY
Net Worth
-£5k
↓ 268% YoY
Current Assets
£4k
↓ 71% YoY
Current Liabilities
-£5k-£1k£2k£6k£9k£12kMay 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
Total assets£4.2k£11.6k
Current assets£3.6k£12.4k
Cash£3.6k£8.8k
Net assets£-4.7k£2.8k

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 (17 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-02-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-02-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-01-21
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  10. 2019-01-21
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  11. 2018-02-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-02-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-01-11
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2015-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2010-01-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BFL PENNINE LTD
  17. 2010-01-08
    ROBINSON, Andrew James appointed
    director

Owner dependency

90/100
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
  • +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.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 17 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

68/100
Strong succession signal

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

SIGNALS
  • 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.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Andrew James Robinson
Individual · British · DOB 12/1972 · age 54
5075%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016
Miss Louise Whittaker
Individual · British · DOB 11/1965 · age 61
2550%
sig. influence25-50% shares · significant influence · firm interest06/04/2016

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

Similar companies

Active · Leisure & entertainment · BB postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ARTEMIS DESIGNS LTD
10921313 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
8y
BALMANSPORTS LTD
13559634 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
BARNOLDSWICK TOWN F C LIMITED
14270088 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
BFC MEMORIAL GARDEN CO. C.I.C.
11311053 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
8y
BLACKBURN ROVERS WOMEN FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED
12033373 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
6y
BLACKBURN TRAVELS LIMITED
16112284 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
BLACKSTAR LONDON LIMITED
08002552 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
14y
BLACKSTAR MANAGEMENT LONDON LIMITED
13812070 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
BLESSED LAND TOURS LTD
15280012 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
2y
BOLTON HALL SPORTING CLUB LIMITED
16366874 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
1y
BOOKING247 LIMITED
14202679 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
BOOST SPORTS CAMPS LIMITED
14750849 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
3y
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
Incorporated2010-01-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC93290 — Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.

Registered office

19 Parklands Way
Livesey
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB2 4QS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-11
Last: 2025-12-28

Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)

ROBINSON, Andrew James
director · ~54y · appointed 2010-01-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Recent filings (36 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-02-20