BILL SMITH MOTORS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00777008 · ltd · incorporated 1963-10-11
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 6.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jul 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45400
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 82). Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 6.1y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 6.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)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
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 7 with DOB)
88
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
127 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 20 | 2200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 officers
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
5
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-17📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-07-16➖SMITH, Mark William resigneddirector
- 2026-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-05-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-04-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-04-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-02📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-10-28🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Santander UK PLC
- 2022-09-16📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-09-16📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-09-15📄statement-of-companys-objectschange-of-constitution · CC04
- 2022-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-07📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-07-06📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2020-06-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Santander UK PLC as Security Trustee
- 2008-10-03➖SMITH, William Austin resigneddirector
- 2002-12-16➖LEECH, Timothy resigneddirector
- 2001-08-15➕LEECH, Timothy appointeddirector
- 1997-09-30➖MURRAY, Stephen resigneddirector
- 1995-04-06➕SMITH, Karen Lesley appointeddirector
- 1995-04-06➕SMITH, Mark William appointeddirector
- 1994-06-29➖GRIFFITHS, Martin Keith resigneddirector
- 1963-10-11🏢Company incorporatedAs BILL SMITH MOTORS LIMITED
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SMITH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
91/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 63 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high ·Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-04-29
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Karen Lesley Smith Individual · British · DOB 12/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 16/04/2016 |
Mr Mark William Smith Individual · British · DOB 03/1978 · age 48 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 16/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUTO365 LTD→ 12388009 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE WINDSCREENS LIMITED→ 02196952 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| B & W AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED→ 07722900 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| B.R.D TYRES LTD→ 16966238 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BENZA AUTOS LTD→ 07781535 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BETHERMOLE LIMITED→ 01282692 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| BLR DIAGNOSTICS LTD→ 13035032 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BMWING MIRRORS LTD→ 13888798 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BOB SMITH'S GARAGE LIMITED→ 08036703 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| BOUGHTON MOTORS LIMITED→ 05301514 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| BOYD MOT ORS LTD→ 16908148 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BPD MECHANIC LTD→ 16670005 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1963-10-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45400 — SIC 45400
Registered office
Bill Smith Motors Whitchurch Road
Christleton
Chester
CH3 6AE
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-04-29OVERDUE
Last: 2025-04-15
Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)
Active
Active
SMITH, Karen Lesley→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 1995-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GRIFFITHS, Martin Keith→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · resigned 1994-06-29
LEECH, Timothy→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2001-08-15 · resigned 2002-12-16
MURRAY, Stephen→
Resigneddirector · ~94y · resigned 1997-09-30
SMITH, Mark William→
Resigneddirector · ~48y · appointed 1995-04-06 · resigned 2026-07-16
SMITH, William Austin→
Resigneddirector · ~91y · resigned 2008-10-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Santander Santander UK PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 28/10/2022 | — | |
| outstanding | Santander Santander UK PLC as Security Trustee | A registered charge | 1 property | 01/06/2020 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (127 total)
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-26
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-12-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-26