ASH & LACY AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

00529602 · ltd · incorporated 1954-02-25

Investment thesis

Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.

Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.

Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Dec 2024

Net worth

£-401.5k

book net assets

Opportunity

76/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 25990

Sector: Manufacturing

Investor take

Pass (distressed without resilience)

Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 12 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

14 live charges · 11 lenders · oldest 59.2y

15/100

under pressure

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

· Oldest live charge is 59.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 11 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

Data confidence

Overall: high (84/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

14 charges (14/14 with lender, 14/14 with type)

Directors & officers

27 officers (5 active, 27 linked, 21 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared

Director network

23 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

217 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

76/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Adequate — check latest filings for context.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared

Negative net assets

Liabilities exceed assets by £401,502

Net assets shrinking

Down £2,118,672 YoY

Cash YoY

-15%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£8k

↓ 15% YoY

Net Worth

-£402k

↓ 123% YoY

Current Assets

£5.6m

↑ 50% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2024-12-31	2023-12-31
Total assets	£-150.5k	£1.93M
Current assets	£5.61M	£3.73M
Cash	£8.2k	£9.6k
Debtors	£3.70M	£2.80M
Net assets	£-401.5k	£1.72M

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

5 signals 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

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 mortgage

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (86 events)Click to expand

2025-12-31
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-12-31
🔓
Charge satisfied #10
2025-09-09
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-09-08
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-09-08
🔓
Charge satisfied #11
2025-09-01
🔒
Charge registered #14
Lender: Ash & Lacy Group Limited (As Security Trustee)
2025-08-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-15
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-01-01
➕
EVANS, Emily appointed
director
2024-11-08
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-10-31
🔒
Charge registered #13
Lender: Ash & Lacy Automotive Holdings Limited
2024-09-30
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-09-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-03
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-12-29
🔒
Charge registered #12
Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
2023-06-20
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-19
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-04-18
➖
WRIGHT, David Graham resigned
director
2022-12-22
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-12-20
🔒
Charge registered #11
Lender: Ash & Lacy Group Limited
2022-04-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2022-01-07
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-01-07
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2022-01-07
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-01-07
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2021-04-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2020-12-23
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2017-09-12
🔓
Charge satisfied #7
2016-07-15
🔒
Charge registered #10
Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
2016-06-23
🔒
Charge registered #8
Lender: Hsbc Invoice Finance (UK) LTD
2016-06-23
🔒
Charge registered #7
Lender: Hsbc Equipment Finance (UK) LTD
2016-06-21
➕
EVANS, Jonathan Leslie, Dr appointed
director
2016-06-21
➕
TIAN, Yisheng appointed
director
2016-06-21
➕
WATERHOUSE, Andrew David appointed
director
2016-06-21
➖
BAKER, Michael Joseph resigned
director
2016-06-21
➕
WRIGHT, David Graham appointed
director
2016-06-21
🔒
Charge registered #9
Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
2016-06-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
2016-06-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
2015-04-30
➖
KEATING, Jonathan Francis resigned
director
2015-04-29
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
2015-01-05
🔓
Charge satisfied #5
2009-12-18
➖
HUMPHREYS, John Christopher resigned
secretary
2009-12-18
➖
HORNE, John Leslie resigned
director
2009-12-18
➖
MUIR, Derek William resigned
director
2009-12-18
➖
PEGLER, Mark resigned
director
2009-12-18
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
2009-12-18
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
2008-03-11
➖
BURR, Christopher John resigned
director
2008-03-11
➕
PEGLER, Mark appointed
director

Showing most recent 50 of 86 events

Owner dependency

66/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

-5 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

70/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

1 med · 1 low

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

5 live charges

low

Heavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.

Group structure

Ash & Lacy Automotive Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️

Ash & Lacy Automotive Holdings Limited

Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control

ultimate parent

⬇

ASH & LACY AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED

This company · 00529602

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
Ash & Lacy Automotive Holdings Limited Corporate entity	75–100%	75–100%	board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control	31/12/2021

2 historic (ceased) PSCs

Ash & Lacy Group Limitedceased 31/12/2021· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
Dr Jonathan Leslie Evansceased 31/12/2021· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control

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 →

Similar companies

Active · Manufacturing · B postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
A & D PRINTING UK LIMITED→ 11144003 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
A.D. RECYCLING SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 04909242 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—
ACHECH UK LTD→ 09944716 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—
ACJ FURNITURE LTD→ 13059012 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
ACM TECHNICS LIMITED→ 10573313 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	9y	—	—
ACME METAL SPINNING & BEDALE LIMITED→ 05602773 · est 2005 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	20y	—	—
ACONIA CASTINGS LIMITED→ 01866515 · est 1984 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	41y	—	—
ACPS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES LTD→ 14563386 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
ACSYS LASERTECHNIK UK LIMITED→ 08174621 · est 2012 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	13y	—	—
ACTAVO (UK) LIMITED→ 04013621 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	—	—
ACTIVATED OXYGEN LIMITED→ 03912733 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	26y	—	—
ACTIVE SILICON LIMITED→ 02263641 · est 1988 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	37y	—	—

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

Incorporated1954-02-25

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990

Registered office

Ash & Lacy House

Alma Street

Smethwick

West Midlands

B66 2RL

United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-06-15

Last: 2025-06-01