A. W. BENT LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
- 46420Wholesale of clothing and footwear
- 47990Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets
Opportunity 67/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
6 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 50.9y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 50.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey 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 | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £2.69M | £3.03M |
| Current assets | £2.86M | £3.16M |
| Cash | £792.0k | £999.8k |
| Debtors | £334.1k | £360.1k |
| Net assets | £2.65M | £3.03M |
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
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-09📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-10-09📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-10-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-10-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-10-09📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-10-02📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2023-09-29➕COOK, Gregory Ross appointeddirector
- 2023-09-29➕COOK, James Bentley appointeddirector
- 2023-09-29➖COOK, Cedric Charles resignedsecretary
- 2023-09-29➖COOK, Cedric Charles resigneddirector
- 2023-09-29➖COOK, Ross Edwin resigneddirector
- 2023-09-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2023-09-29📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-09-29📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2023-09-29📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2023-09-29⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2023-09-29📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-09-28📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2023-09-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-09-28📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2023-09-28📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2023-09-28📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2023-09-28⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2023-09-28📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-04-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-19🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2011-09-19🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2008-04-04➖COOK, William Douglas resigneddirector
- 2007-03-07🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2007-03-07🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2007-03-07🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2007-03-07🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1996-01-23➖COOK, Dennis William resigneddirector
- 1993-05-11🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 1992-06-19🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1991-01-17🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1978-09-08🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1978-03-21🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1975-08-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1946-11-16🏢Company incorporatedAs A. W. BENT LIMITED
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.
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
1 high · 1 med ·Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2023-09-29: legacy; 2023-09-28: legacy
Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
Lorm Holdings Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lorm Holdings Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 28/09/2023 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Cedric Charles Cookceased 29/09/2023· 25-50% shares
- Mr Ross Edwin Cookceased 28/09/2023· 25-50% shares
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 · 5 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 19/09/2011 | 19/07/2021 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Single debenture | 1 property | 19/06/1992 | 07/03/2007 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 17/01/1991 | 07/03/2007 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 08/09/1978 | 11/05/1993 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 21/03/1978 | 07/03/2007 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 19/08/1975 | 07/03/2007 |