ATKINSON VOS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02873238 · ltd · incorporated 1993-11-18
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
£813.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45310
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (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 28.5y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 28.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
121 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
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
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 £813,777
Net assets shrinking
Down £147,180 YoY
Cash YoY
-29%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£309k
↓ 29% YoY
Net Worth
£814k
↓ 15% YoY
Current Assets
£1.7m
↑ 7.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £870.8k | £1.07M |
| Current assets | £1.66M | £1.55M |
| Cash | £309.0k | £433.7k |
| Debtors | £111.9k | £185.2k |
| Net assets | £813.8k | £961.0k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-27📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-23📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2024-07-23📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2023-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-02📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2021-05-14📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2021-04-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-03📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2020-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-10📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2020-01-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-01-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-11-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-12-18➖ATKINSON, Frank resigneddirector
- 2012-12-13➖VOS, Jacob resignedsecretary
- 2012-12-13➖VOS, Jacob resigneddirector
- 2009-09-03➕WARD, Simon John appointeddirector
- 2009-09-03➕VOS, Jacob appointeddirector
- 2005-08-31➖MAY, Valerie Jane resignedsecretary
- 2005-08-31➕VOS, Jacob appointedsecretary
- 1998-01-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1993-11-18🏢Company incorporatedAs ATKINSON VOS LIMITED
- 1993-11-18➕ELK COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1993-11-18➕ATKINSON, Frank appointeddirector
- 1993-11-18➕ELK (NOMINEES) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1993-11-15➕MAY, Valerie Jane appointedsecretary
- 1993-11-15➖ELK COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1993-11-15➖ELK (NOMINEES) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
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.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 33 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Simon John Ward Individual · British · DOB 06/1977 · age 49 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Frank Atkinsonceased 03/07/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Jacob Vosceased 30/03/2017· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACM AUTOS LTD→ 14333626 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADVENTURE MOTOR VEHICLES LIMITED→ 12190054 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AERO MOTOR CARE LTD→ 16364017 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AG AUTO SERVICES (MORECAMBE) LTD→ 14683410 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AG MOTORS (BARROW) LIMITED→ 11441052 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AGRI-PLANT SV LIMITED→ 06311653 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| AINSWORTHS GARAGE LIMITED→ 10516495 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ANYTIME GARAGE LTD→ 13236269 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASHWORTH STREET GARAGE LIMITED→ 04741231 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ATHERSMITH MOTOR SERVICES LIMITED→ 04277231 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AUTO EMPORIUM CUMBRIA LIMITED→ 14952344 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AUTODENT (CUMBRIA) LTD→ 08286750 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1993-11-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45310 — SIC 45310
Registered office
Wenning Mill Wenning Avenue
Bentham
Lancaster
LA2 7LW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-02
Last: 2025-11-18
Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)
WARD, Simon John→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2009-09-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MAY, Valerie Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1993-11-15 · resigned 2005-08-31
VOS, Jacob→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-08-31 · resigned 2012-12-13
ELK COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-11-18 · resigned 1993-11-15
ATKINSON, Frank→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1993-11-18 · resigned 2018-12-18
VOS, Jacob→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2009-09-03 · resigned 2012-12-13
ELK (NOMINEES) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1993-11-18 · resigned 1993-11-15
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 | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 02/01/1998 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (121 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-11-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-29
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2024-07-23
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2024-07-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-19
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2021-06-02