MARTIN BENCHER (EUROPE) LIMITED

⚰️Wound downdissolved
02953667 · ltd · incorporated 1994-07-28
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 30.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
64/100
Worth a look
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 7499
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 64/100 (worth a look), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 30.2y

85/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 30.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 20/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: low (52/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
18 officers (3 active, 18 linked, 12 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
15 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
77 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
64/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (62 events)Click to expand
  1. 2011-03-29
    📄
    gazette-dissolved-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ2(A)
  2. 2011-03-29
    🏁
    Company dissolved
  3. 2010-12-14
    📄
    gazette-notice-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ1(A)
  4. 2010-12-06
    📄
    dissolution-application-strike-off-company
    dissolution · DS01
  5. 2010-10-01
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name
    officers · AP01
  6. 2010-09-27
    ➕
    TAYLOR, Anthony Christopher appointed
    director
  7. 2010-06-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2010-06-09
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  9. 2010-06-09
    📄
    change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH04
  10. 2010-06-09
    📄
    change-corporate-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH02
  11. 2009-07-21
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  12. 2009-05-14
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  13. 2008-07-21
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  14. 2008-05-13
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  15. 2007-06-28
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  16. 2007-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  17. 2006-06-21
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  18. 2006-05-11
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  19. 2005-06-17
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  20. 2005-06-14
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  21. 2004-08-31
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  22. 2004-06-25
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  23. 2003-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-made-up-date
    accounts · AA
  24. 2003-06-20
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363s
  25. 2003-06-20
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363(288)
  26. 2002-12-18
    📍
    legacy
    address · 287
  27. 2002-08-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  28. 2002-06-28
    ➕
    CHARENTE SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  29. 2002-06-28
    ➖
    LANGFORD, Colin Peter resigned
    secretary
  30. 2002-02-13
    ➖
    WINFIELD, Robert resigned
    director
  31. 2002-01-21
    ➕
    CHARENTE GROUP LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  32. 2002-01-21
    ➖
    SEAFORD, Michael Anthony resigned
    director
  33. 2000-10-26
    ➖
    ROSHER, Christopher Francis resigned
    director
  34. 2000-09-26
    ➖
    PETTIT, Gordon James resigned
    director
  35. 2000-06-30
    ➕
    WINFIELD, Robert appointed
    director
  36. 2000-05-01
    ➖
    POWELL, David James resigned
    director
  37. 2000-01-11
    ➕
    ROSHER, Christopher Francis appointed
    director
  38. 1999-11-02
    ➖
    BATES, Derek Roy resigned
    director
  39. 1999-10-05
    ➖
    PARKER, John Frederick resigned
    director
  40. 1998-07-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  41. 1998-07-08
    ➕
    LANGFORD, Colin Peter appointed
    secretary
  42. 1998-07-08
    ➖
    POWELL, David James resigned
    secretary
  43. 1998-07-08
    ➖
    BALDWIN, Douglas Vincent resigned
    director
  44. 1998-07-08
    ➖
    DEVEREUX, Arthur William resigned
    director
  45. 1998-07-08
    ➕
    PETTIT, Gordon James appointed
    director
  46. 1998-07-08
    ➕
    SEAFORD, Michael Anthony appointed
    director
  47. 1996-09-16
    ➕
    BATES, Derek Roy appointed
    director
  48. 1996-03-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  49. 1995-12-14
    ➕
    BALDWIN, Douglas Vincent appointed
    director
  50. 1995-11-15
    ➖
    NOLTING, Peter resigned
    director
Showing most recent 50 of 62 events

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LIMITED" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
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 80 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 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 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 high ·
Company dissolved
high

Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.

Evidence: Dissolved on 2011-03-29

🔒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

Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1994-07-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC7499 — SIC 7499

Registered office

Port Of Liverpool Building
2nd Floor Pier Head
Liverpool
Merseyside
L3 1BY

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2009-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —

Officers (0 active · 15 resigned)

CHARENTE SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2002-06-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
TAYLOR, Anthony Christopher→
director · ~80y · appointed 2010-09-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CHARENTE GROUP LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2002-01-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LANGFORD, Colin Peter→
secretary · appointed 1998-07-08 · resigned 2002-06-28
Resigned
POWELL, David James→
secretary · appointed 1994-07-28 · resigned 1998-07-08
Resigned
HALLMARK SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1994-07-28 · resigned 1994-07-28
Resigned
BALDWIN, Douglas Vincent→
director · ~84y · appointed 1995-12-14 · resigned 1998-07-08
Resigned
BATES, Derek Roy→
director · ~79y · appointed 1996-09-16 · resigned 1999-11-02
Resigned
DEVEREUX, Arthur William→
director · ~91y · appointed 1994-07-28 · resigned 1998-07-08
Resigned
NOLTING, Peter→
director · ~82y · appointed 1994-08-18 · resigned 1995-11-15
Resigned
PARKER, John Frederick→
director · ~92y · appointed 1994-07-28 · resigned 1999-10-05
Resigned
PETTIT, Gordon James→
director · ~86y · appointed 1998-07-08 · resigned 2000-09-26
Resigned
POWELL, David James→
director · ~82y · appointed 1994-07-28 · resigned 2000-05-01
Resigned
ROSHER, Christopher Francis→
director · ~63y · appointed 2000-01-11 · resigned 2000-10-26
Resigned
SEAFORD, Michael Anthony→
director · ~75y · appointed 1998-07-08 · resigned 2002-01-21
Resigned
VERHAART, Adrianus Cornelis Antonius→
director · ~77y · appointed 1994-08-18 · resigned 1995-11-15
Resigned
WINFIELD, Robert→
director · ~72y · appointed 2000-06-30 · resigned 2002-02-13
Resigned
HALLMARK REGISTRARS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1994-07-28 · resigned 1994-07-28
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property19/03/199618/07/1998

Recent filings (77 total)

gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2011-03-29
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2010-12-14
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2010-12-06
appoint-person-director-company-with-name
officers · AP01
2010-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2010-06-11
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-06-09
change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH04
2010-06-09
change-corporate-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH02
2010-06-09
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2009-07-21
accounts-with-made-up-date
accounts · AA
2009-05-14
legacy
annual-return · 363s
2008-07-21
accounts-with-made-up-date
accounts · AA
2008-05-13
legacy
annual-return · 363s
2007-06-28
accounts-with-made-up-date
accounts · AA
2007-06-03
legacy
annual-return · 363s
2006-06-21