ACO MOTORS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
00838052 · ltd · incorporated 1965-02-18
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 45200SIC 45200
- 45320Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories
- 47300Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (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: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (68/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 4 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 3 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
102 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-06-30 |
|---|---|
| Average employees | 7 |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 officers
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-11-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-11-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-11-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-07-14📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-14📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-11-14📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2023-11-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-20➕YOUDAN, Natalie appointedsecretary
- 2023-10-20➖DELANEY, Claire resignedsecretary
- 2022-11-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-07➕DELANEY, Claire appointedsecretary
- 2015-12-10➖SPERREY, Valerie resignedsecretary
- 1999-10-27➕SPERREY, Valerie appointedsecretary
- 1999-10-27➖YOUDAN, Simon Paul resignedsecretary
- 1999-09-26➖YOUDAN, Roger Paul resigneddirector
- 1999-01-04➕YOUDAN, Simon Paul appointeddirector
- 1998-08-23➖YOUDAN, Kathleen Rose resignedsecretary
- 1998-08-23➕YOUDAN, Simon Paul appointedsecretary
- 1998-08-23➖YOUDAN, Kathleen Rose resigneddirector
- 1992-02-20➕YOUDAN, Kathleen Rose appointeddirector
- 1965-02-18🏢Company incorporatedAs ACO MOTORS LIMITED
Owner dependency
85/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Simon Paul Youdan Individual · British · DOB 02/1971 · age 55 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Natalie Youdan Individual · British · DOB 06/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 31/01/2023 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · B postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAARC LIMITED→ 07172531 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AC3 MOTORS LIMITED→ 16607211 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCELERATE MECHANICAL SERVICES LTD→ 12596721 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ACE MOTOR GROUP LTD→ 12776566 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ACG MOTOR SALES LTD→ 16356971 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ACRE MOT & SERVICING LTD→ 11717451 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ADAZ TYRES LTD→ 14676814 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADI CAR SALES LTD→ 12267269 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADILAUTOS LTD→ 16460103 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADKINS AUTO LTD→ 16316313 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADRIAN AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED→ 10132915 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ADS & SONS COMPOSITE DOORS LTD→ 11020306 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
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 →🔒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
Incorporated1965-02-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112
Registered office
107-109 Shutt Lane
Earlswood
Warwickshire
B94 6DA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-11
Last: 2025-12-28
Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)
Active
YOUDAN, Simon Paul→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 1999-01-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DELANEY, Claire→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2016-10-07 · resigned 2023-10-20
SPERREY, Valerie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-10-27 · resigned 2015-12-10
YOUDAN, Kathleen Rose→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1998-08-23
YOUDAN, Simon Paul→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-08-23 · resigned 1999-10-27
YOUDAN, Kathleen Rose→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 1992-02-20 · resigned 1998-08-23
YOUDAN, Roger Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · resigned 1999-09-26
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (102 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-05
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-11-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-11-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-11-12
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-09
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-11-14
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2023-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-07