Howsons Limited

Reference number: 731248

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When escapebikeshop.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 01524 241422 is
  • Who else gives the postcode LA6 3NJ
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Other names (1)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Escape Bike Shop Trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Lend or arrange credit · Hire out goods to consumers No FSCS cover
    Consumer credit is not covered by the FSCS, so there is no compensation scheme if the firm fails.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (5 permissions)
  • Credit Broking
  • Entering into Regulated Consumer Hire Agreements as owner
  • Entering into regulated credit agreement as Lender (Excluding high-cost short-term credit, bill of sale agreement, and home collected credit agreement)
  • Exercising/having right to exercise lender's rights and duties under a regulated credit agreement (excluding high-cost short-term credit, bill of sale agreement, and home collected credit agreement)
  • Exercising or having the right to exercise the owner's rights and duties under a regulated consumer hire agreement

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
04760389
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
12 May 2003 (23 years old)
Registered office
Kirksteads, Westhouse, Ingleton, North Yorkshire, LA6 3NJ, England
Nature of business
  • Electrical installation (SIC 43210)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Alan Richard Howson Director Feb 1940 12 May 2003 1 other company
Andrew Mark Howson Director Jan 1976 1 Apr 2006 8 other companies
Matthew Alan Howson Director Jul 1979 1 Apr 2006 4 other companies
Michael Anthony Howson Director Jul 1973 1 Apr 2006 2 other companies

Other companies run by these 4 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
11
closed down
1
run together
2

In the full report: all 11 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 4 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 2 companies these 4 directors run together
  • All 7 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 March 2026Small company accountsNot audited

Net assets

£14.9m

+19% from £12.5m

Cash at bank

£3.86m

+7.9% from £3.58m

Employees (average)

45

+4.7% from 43

Owed within a year

£1.45m

−2.5% from £1.49m

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 7 years of accounts

  • Every year from 2020 to 2026
  • The chart, over every year
  • Every filed figure, year by year
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About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 04760389. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Howsons’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (8) All events (19)

2025

18 November 2025

  • Alan Richard Howson stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

2024

28 October 2024

  • Howsons Holdings Limited took control (75–100% of shares)
  • Janice Garnett Howson stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

2017

21 April 2017

  • Alan Richard Howson became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Janice Garnett Howson became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

2016

22 January 2016

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

2003

12 May 2003

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 19 events

  • All 19 events in its history (8 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 8
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Firms like Howsons

Other firms of the same type (lender), nearest first.

In Carnforth

Bowland Finance LimitedCarnforthAuthorisedNorth Star Financial Consultants LtdCarnforthAuthorisedMac Tools LimitedCarnforthAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Howsons

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 11 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • 7 years of accounts, charted
  • All 19 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Howsons Limited FCA authorised?
Yes, Howsons Limited (FRN 731248) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since January 2016 and works as a lender. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is Howsons’ phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 01524 241422 and the website escapebikeshop.com for Howsons. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Howsons a scam or clone?
Howsons is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Howsons?
Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. Protection depends on which product you hold and how Howsons handles your money, so check the specific product before you commit. You can also refer complaints about Howsons to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who owns Howsons?
Howsons is owned by Howsons Holdings Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 28 October 2024. Before that, it was controlled by Mrs Janice Garnett Howson and Mr Alan Richard Howson.
Who runs Howsons?
Companies House lists 4 directors of Howsons: Alan Richard Howson, Andrew Mark Howson, Matthew Alan Howson and Michael Anthony Howson.
How long has Howsons been in business?
The company was formed on 12 May 2003, and has held its current FCA authorisation since January 2016.
What do Howsons’ latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 March 2026, show net assets of £14.9m (+19% from £12.5m) and cash at bank of £3.86m (+7.9% from £3.58m).
Does Howsons use any other names?
It trades as Escape Bike Shop.

Sources and links

The full report on Howsons Limited

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