BENSON PAYNE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
02458482 · ltd · incorporated 1990-01-10
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 73). 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 (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
11 officers (1 active, 11 linked, 8 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
108 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£489£978£1k£2k£2kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets—£1.5k
Current assets—£2.4k
Net assets—£1.3k

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-04-27
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  6. 2021-12-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-12-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-01-29
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2015-01-10
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2013-03-24
    ➖
    MARSH, Wayne Stephen resigned
    secretary
  17. 2013-03-24
    ➖
    MARSH, Wayne Stephen resigned
    director
  18. 2010-05-31
    ➖
    DAVIES, Lauren resigned
    director
  19. 2008-04-01
    ➕
    DAVIES, Lauren appointed
    director
  20. 2005-07-08
    ➖
    MULDOWNEY, Janette resigned
    director
  21. 2004-06-21
    ➖
    BENNETT, Cheryl Corinne resigned
    director
  22. 2001-01-01
    ➕
    BENNETT, Cheryl Corinne appointed
    director
  23. 1998-02-28
    ➖
    WILLIAMS, Jacqueline Sandra resigned
    director
  24. 1997-09-01
    ➕
    MULDOWNEY, Janette appointed
    director
  25. 1993-08-01
    ➕
    WILLIAMS, Jacqueline Sandra appointed
    director
  26. 1993-07-31
    ➖
    COPPOCK, Alan Michael resigned
    secretary
  27. 1993-07-31
    ➕
    MARSH, Wayne Stephen appointed
    secretary
  28. 1993-07-31
    ➖
    COPPOCK, Alan Michael resigned
    director
  29. 1993-03-31
    ➖
    DERRY, Christopher resigned
    director
  30. 1991-11-01
    ➕
    COPPOCK, Alan Michael appointed
    secretary
  31. 1991-11-01
    ➕
    COPPOCK, Alan Michael appointed
    director
  32. 1991-11-01
    ➕
    DERRY, Christopher appointed
    director
  33. 1991-10-31
    ➖
    MARSH, Wayne Stephen resigned
    secretary
  34. 1991-06-30
    ➕
    MARSH, Wayne Stephen appointed
    secretary
  35. 1990-01-10
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BENSON PAYNE LIMITED

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 name in company name: Company name contains director surname "PAYNE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 37 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Michael Jon Payne
Individual · British · DOB 01/1953 · age 73
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control10/01/2017

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 →

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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
Incorporated1990-01-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management

Registered office

Sleepy Willow, 2 Willow Clough
Ripponden
Sowerby Bridge
West Yorkshire
HX6 4SA

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-24
Last: 2026-01-10

Officers (1 active · 10 resigned)

PAYNE, Michael Jon→
director · ~73y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COPPOCK, Alan Michael→
secretary · appointed 1991-11-01 · resigned 1993-07-31
Resigned
MARSH, Wayne Stephen→
secretary · appointed 1993-07-31 · resigned 2013-03-24
Resigned
MARSH, Wayne Stephen→
secretary · appointed 1991-06-30 · resigned 1991-10-31
Resigned
BENNETT, Cheryl Corinne→
director · ~63y · appointed 2001-01-01 · resigned 2004-06-21
Resigned
COPPOCK, Alan Michael→
director · ~79y · appointed 1991-11-01 · resigned 1993-07-31
Resigned
DAVIES, Lauren→
director · ~52y · appointed 2008-04-01 · resigned 2010-05-31
Resigned
DERRY, Christopher→
director · ~75y · appointed 1991-11-01 · resigned 1993-03-31
Resigned
MARSH, Wayne Stephen→
director · ~70y · resigned 2013-03-24
Resigned
MULDOWNEY, Janette→
director · ~63y · appointed 1997-09-01 · resigned 2005-07-08
Resigned
WILLIAMS, Jacqueline Sandra→
director · ~75y · appointed 1993-08-01 · resigned 1998-02-28
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (108 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-23