ACE CAR HIRE (WORTHING) LIMITED
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 46.9y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 46.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 4 | 400 |
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
- • 3 officers
- • 3 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-11➖WOODCOCK, Michael Howard resignedsecretary
- 2026-05-11➖WOODCOCK, Christine Patricia resigneddirector
- 2026-05-11➖WOODCOCK, Michael Howard resigneddirector
- 2026-05-11📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-05-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-05-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-13📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-06-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-06-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-06-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-06-14📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2018-06-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2003-09-24➕WOODCOCK, Carl appointeddirector
- 1979-07-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank Limited
- 1972-12-29🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE CAR HIRE (WORTHING) LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 53 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: WOODCOCK, Michael Howard resigned 2026-05-11; WOODCOCK, Christine Patricia resigned 2026-05-11; WOODCOCK, Michael Howard resigned 2026-05-11
Shareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Christine Patricia Woodcock Individual · British · DOB 01/1952 · age 74 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Carl Woodcock Individual · British · DOB 02/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Michael Howard Woodcock Individual · British · DOB 06/1946 · age 80 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&M PREMIER LIMITED→ 15568328 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACE REMOVALS SUSSEX LTD→ 16750158 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACE TAXIS (WEST SUSSEX) LTD→ 09352956 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ADAM HERATY LTD→ 11391481 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ADI TRANS 2020 LTD→ 12541714 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ADUR FERRY BRIDGE MOORINGS LIMITED→ 16724492 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADV REMOVALS AND TRANSPORT LTD→ 16452004 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADVANCED FREIGHT TRADING CAPITAL LIMITED→ 12002495 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AERO-K LTD→ 16833327 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AEROSPACE SUPPORT ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ 02901116 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| AIRCRAFT LTD→ 13136162 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AIRLINEPREP LIMITED→ 10399598 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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 (1 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank Limited | Legal charge | 1 property | 11/07/1979 | — |