COLCHESTER TRAVEL LTD
🌳Matureactive
02496140 · ltd · incorporated 1990-04-26
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 31.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Travel agency activities
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 85-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 85). 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 (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 31.1y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 31.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 6 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
96 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red 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 | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1600 | 1500 |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
6
filings
- • 3 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-20📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-01-20📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-20📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-01-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-01-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-01-08➖BENNETT, John Graham resignedsecretary
- 2026-01-08➖BENNETT, John Graham resigneddirector
- 2025-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2007-06-06➕BENNETT, Paul Graham appointeddirector
- 1999-03-31➖BENNETT, Edna Marion resignedsecretary
- 1996-01-31➖COCKERTON, Donald John resigneddirector
- 1995-04-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1992-05-21➖LEE, Eric Edward resigneddirector
- 1992-03-01➕COCKERTON, Donald John appointeddirector
- 1992-03-01➕LEE, Eric Edward appointeddirector
- 1991-05-09➕BENNETT, Edna Marion appointeddirector
- 1991-05-09➕BENNETT, Edna Marion appointedsecretary
- 1991-05-09➖GRAYSON, Michael resigneddirector
- 1990-04-26🏢Company incorporatedAs COLCHESTER TRAVEL LTD
Owner dependency
91/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 35 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 85 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
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 85 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 35 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 36 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 ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: BENNETT, John Graham resigned 2026-01-08; BENNETT, John Graham resigned 2026-01-08
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Edna Marion Bennett Individual · British · DOB 08/1941 · age 85 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 08/01/2026 |
Mr Paul Graham Bennett Individual · British · DOB 04/1971 · age 55 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 19/01/2026 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr John Bennettceased 08/01/2026· significant influence
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
Active · Leisure & entertainment · CO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3WISHES THEATRE CIC→ 15630803 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACT DRAMA LIMITED→ 16608280 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AJ PHOTOS AND DESIGNS LTD→ 10295046 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ALBANE COURTOIS LTD→ 10980039 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ALRESFORD ANGLING ASSOCIATION→ 14838929 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ANNUNCIATION PRESS LIMITED→ 15211828 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASTON SPENCER LONDON LTD→ 14010635 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AURA REFORMA LTD→ 16478159 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BACKSEAT DRIVERS LTD→ 16423040 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BANNIUK FPV FUTURES LIMITED→ 10498604 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BENCHSPACE STUDIO LTD→ 16348562 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BEWIGGED LTD→ 12565236 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1990-04-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC79110 — Travel agency activities
Registered office
39 Crouch Street
Colchester
Essex
CO3 3EN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-23
Last: 2026-01-09
Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)
BENNETT, Edna Marion→
Activedirector · ~85y · appointed 1991-05-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BENNETT, Paul Graham→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2007-06-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BENNETT, Edna Marion→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1991-05-09 · resigned 1999-03-31
BENNETT, John Graham→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2026-01-08
BENNETT, John Graham→
Resigneddirector · ~90y · resigned 2026-01-08
COCKERTON, Donald John→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · appointed 1992-03-01 · resigned 1996-01-31
GRAYSON, Michael→
Resigneddirector · ~91y · resigned 1991-05-09
LEE, Eric Edward→
Resigneddirector · ~93y · appointed 1992-03-01 · resigned 1992-05-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 21/04/1995 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (96 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-21
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-01-20
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-20
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-01-20
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-01-20
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-06-29