2PHY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
05044571 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-16
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 Feb 2024
Net worth
£1.07M
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Book publishing
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 63120Web portals
  • 81100SIC 81100
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (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: Discharge stale live charges. 3 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 22.0y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (71/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
12 officers (2 active, 12 linked, 5 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
75 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,068,029

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£1.1m
Current Assets
£173k
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-02-28
Total assets£1.14M
Current assets£173.3k
Net assets£1.07M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (41 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-04-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-04-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-04-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-06-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-11-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-06-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-01-18
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AAMD
  11. 2016-09-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-03-16
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-11-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-03-14
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-11-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2009-11-30
    ➕
    BARDEN, Glenn appointed
    secretary
  17. 2009-11-30
    ➖
    HILLS, David Andrew resigned
    secretary
  18. 2009-11-30
    ➖
    HILLS, David Andrew resigned
    director
  19. 2008-01-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  20. 2007-10-10
    ➖
    DOLNIAK, Damian resigned
    director
  21. 2007-10-10
    ➖
    WESTERN, Duncan John resigned
    director
  22. 2007-06-06
    ➕
    HILLS, David Andrew appointed
    secretary
  23. 2007-06-06
    ➖
    WESTERN, Duncan John resigned
    secretary
  24. 2006-02-17
    ➖
    BARNETT, Dean Adrian resigned
    secretary
  25. 2006-02-17
    ➕
    WESTERN, Duncan John appointed
    secretary
  26. 2006-02-17
    ➖
    BARNETT, Dean Adrian resigned
    director
  27. 2006-02-06
    ➕
    HILLS, David Andrew appointed
    director
  28. 2005-02-15
    ➕
    BARNETT, Dean Adrian appointed
    secretary
  29. 2005-02-15
    ➖
    WESTERN, Duncan resigned
    secretary
  30. 2004-04-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  31. 2004-04-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  32. 2004-02-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As 2PHY LIMITED
  33. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    BARDEN, Glenn appointed
    director
  34. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    WESTERN, Duncan appointed
    secretary
  35. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  36. 2004-02-16
    ➖
    LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    BARNETT, Dean Adrian appointed
    director
  38. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    DOLNIAK, Damian appointed
    director
  39. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    WESTERN, Duncan John appointed
    director
  40. 2004-02-16
    ➕
    LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  41. 2004-02-16
    ➖
    LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

85/100
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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Glenn Barden
Individual · British · DOB 09/1969 · age 57
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated2004-02-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC58110 — Book publishing

Registered office

Flat 1 Estilo
5 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7SL

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-02
Last: 2026-02-16

Officers (2 active · 10 resigned)

BARDEN, Glenn→
secretary · appointed 2009-11-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARDEN, Glenn→
director · ~57y · appointed 2004-02-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARNETT, Dean Adrian→
secretary · appointed 2005-02-15 · resigned 2006-02-17
Resigned
HILLS, David Andrew→
secretary · appointed 2007-06-06 · resigned 2009-11-30
Resigned
WESTERN, Duncan John→
secretary · appointed 2006-02-17 · resigned 2007-06-06
Resigned
WESTERN, Duncan→
secretary · appointed 2004-02-16 · resigned 2005-02-15
Resigned
LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-02-16 · resigned 2004-02-16
Resigned
BARNETT, Dean Adrian→
director · ~56y · appointed 2004-02-16 · resigned 2006-02-17
Resigned
DOLNIAK, Damian→
director · ~52y · appointed 2004-02-16 · resigned 2007-10-10
Resigned
HILLS, David Andrew→
director · ~57y · appointed 2006-02-06 · resigned 2009-11-30
Resigned
WESTERN, Duncan John→
director · ~52y · appointed 2004-02-16 · resigned 2007-10-10
Resigned
LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-02-16 · resigned 2004-02-16
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property18/01/2008—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Legal charge1 property19/04/2004—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Debenture1 property05/04/2004—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (75 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-02-24