AJS MOTORCYCLES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
01409055 · ltd · incorporated 1979-01-12
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 Oct 2025
Net worth
£1.00M
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45400
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
5 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 25.9y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 25.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
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
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
106 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,000,606
Net assets shrinking
Down £46,970 YoY
Cash YoY
-20%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£150k
↓ 20% YoY
Net Worth
£1.0m
↓ 4.5% YoY
Current Assets
£894k
↓ 4.8% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.00M | £1.05M |
| Current assets | £893.8k | £939.3k |
| Cash | £149.6k | £186.6k |
| Debtors | £107.1k | £120.9k |
| Net assets | £1.00M | £1.05M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 2 mortgage
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-02-19📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2026-02-19🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2026-01-14📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2026-01-14🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2025-07-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-06📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-07-05➖BENWELL, David Ian resignedsecretary
- 2022-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-11📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2020-02-11🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2019-06-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2012-08-13🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2012-07-25➖BROWN, David George resigneddirector
- 2006-03-17🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Iain George Hodson and Deborah Jane Crossman
- 2004-12-13🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2004-12-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2004-07-01➕BENWELL, David Ian appointedsecretary
- 2004-07-01➖JEFFERY, Roger Paul resignedsecretary
- 2000-08-04🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 1979-01-12🏢Company incorporatedAs AJS MOTORCYCLES LIMITED
Owner dependency
90/100
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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 47 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Nicholas James Brown Individual · British · DOB 04/1961 · age 65 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 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 36 MC LTD→ 14895088 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| A.J. REYNOLDS TRUCK SERVICES LTD→ 03649346 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| ALTX CARS LTD→ 15839038 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ANDOVER CAR SERVICE LIMITED→ 05855946 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ANDOVER MOTORCYCLES LIMITED→ 13981403 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ANDOVER TACHOGRAPH CENTRE LIMITED→ 07146247 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ANTHONY'S WORKSHOP LIMITED→ 13880430 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ARMA AUTOS ANDOVER LIMITED→ 15552797 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASH-AUTOS SPARES LTD→ 13472608 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ASHBOURNE MOTORS LIMITED→ 04452773 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ASHLEY'S MOT'S AND TYRES LTD→ 12441576 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ATG MOTORS LIMITED→ 15451115 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1979-01-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45400 — SIC 45400
Registered office
126 Weyhill Road
Andover
Hants
SP10 3BE
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-07
Last: 2025-10-24
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
Active
BENWELL, David Ian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-07-01 · resigned 2023-07-05
JEFFERY, Roger Paul→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2004-07-01
BROWN, David George→
Resigneddirector · ~96y · resigned 2012-07-25
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
5
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Mortgage deed | 1 property | 13/08/2012 | 19/02/2026 | |
| outstanding | Iain George Hodson and Deborah Jane Crossman / Iain George Hodson and Deborah Jane Crossman | Clawback legal charge | 1 property | 17/03/2006 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Deposit agreement to secure own liabilities | 1 property | 13/12/2004 | 11/02/2020 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Deposit agreement to secure own liabilities | 1 property | 13/12/2004 | 14/01/2026 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 04/08/2000 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (106 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-02
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-02-19
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-26
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-07-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-02