4MATION LTD
Opportunity 74/100 (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 (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 10.9y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|
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 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-31📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2022-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-08-24📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-14📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2018-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Ultimate Invoice Finance Limited
- 2015-03-03🏢Company incorporatedAs 4MATION LTD
- 2015-03-03➕LIU, Enquan appointedsecretary
- 2015-03-03➕LIU, Enquan 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.
- +No director turnover: Company is 11 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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 Enquan Liu Individual · British · DOB 08/1986 · age 40 | 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
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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 (2 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Ultimate Invoice Finance Ultimate Invoice Finance Limited | A registered charge | 8 properties | 09/07/2015 | — |