HOPLAB LTD
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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.
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 | 2026-04-30 | 2025-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £11.0k | £11.3k |
| Current assets | £7.2k | £13.0k |
| Net assets | £11.0k | £11.3k |
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 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (14 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-31📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2024-11-18📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-21➕WHALLEY, Adam appointeddirector
- 2021-09-21📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-09-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-09-21📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-02-10🏢Company incorporatedAs HOPLAB LTD
- 2021-02-10➕WHALLEY, Gareth appointeddirector
- 2021-02-10📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 5 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Limited succession signal. Not a near-term off-market candidate.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Adam Whalley Individual · British · DOB 12/1982 · age 44 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 21/09/2021 |
Mr Gareth Whalley Individual · British · DOB 04/1980 · age 46 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 10/02/2021 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Adam Whalleyceased 21/09/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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.