COMMERCIAL EXPRESS QUOTES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03862468 · ltd · incorporated 1999-10-20
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 Dec 2025
Net worth
£3.42M
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of insurance agents and brokers
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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: strategic trade sale (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 22.0y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
81 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 £3,418,265
Cash YoY
+56%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£5.0m
↑ 56% YoY
Net Worth
£3.4m
↑ 40% YoY
Current Assets
£8.6m
↑ 23% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £3.45M | £2.44M |
| Current assets | £8.62M | £7.04M |
| Cash | £5.04M | £3.22M |
| Debtors | £3.58M | £3.81M |
| Net assets | £3.42M | £2.44M |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
3
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-mediumaccounts · AA
- 2026-05-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-mediumaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-26📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-05-26🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2023-05-16➖BALLER, Sarah Kathleen resigneddirector
- 2023-05-16📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-05-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-05📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-06-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2014-05-31➖DERBYSHIRE, Ian resigneddirector
- 2011-07-05➕DERBYSHIRE, Ian appointeddirector
- 2004-08-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2002-05-30➕BALLER, Sarah Kathleen appointeddirector
- 2002-04-01➖COOLEY, Robert Bruce resigneddirector
- 1999-10-20🏢Company incorporatedAs COMMERCIAL EXPRESS QUOTES LIMITED
- 1999-10-20➕PRITCHARD, Duncan Peter appointedsecretary
- 1999-10-20➕PRITCHARD, Duncan Peter appointeddirector
- 1999-10-20➕ASHCROFT CAMERON SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-10-20➖ASHCROFT CAMERON SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-10-20➕COOLEY, Robert Bruce appointeddirector
- 1999-10-20➕ASHCROFT CAMERON NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1999-10-20➖ASHCROFT CAMERON 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 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 27 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 Duncan Peter Pritchard Individual · British · DOB 07/1972 · age 54 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/09/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Sarah Kathleen Ballerceased 16/05/2023· 50-75% shares
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 · Financial services · DY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BREDON HILL WEALTH MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 15221342 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CONCISE MORTGAGES LTD→ 12922459 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CONSEQUENTIAL PLANNING LIMITED→ 11572415 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| COOPER MORTIMER PLANT LIMITED→ 05303482 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| COUNTRY FINANCE LTD→ 17051405 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CROOK-DAVIES LTD→ 11833059 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CRYPTO STORE LTD→ 12914264 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CSP PROPERTY SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16179159 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DAVENHILL INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 12351116 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| DCMS HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 11269714 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| DESIGN A MORTGAGE LTD→ 13249543 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DEVONSHIREOLLEN LIMITED→ 16770699 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1999-10-20
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66220 — Activities of insurance agents and brokers
Registered office
B1 Custom House The Waterfront
Level Street
Brierley Hill
West Midlands
DY5 1XH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-30
Last: 2026-05-16
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
PRITCHARD, Duncan Peter→
Activesecretary · appointed 1999-10-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PRITCHARD, Duncan Peter→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 1999-10-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ASHCROFT CAMERON SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-10-20 · resigned 1999-10-20
BALLER, Sarah Kathleen→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 2002-05-30 · resigned 2023-05-16
COOLEY, Robert Bruce→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · appointed 1999-10-20 · resigned 2002-04-01
DERBYSHIRE, Ian→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 2011-07-05 · resigned 2014-05-31
ASHCROFT CAMERON NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-10-20 · resigned 1999-10-20
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 05/08/2004 | 26/05/2023 |
Recent filings (81 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2026-07-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-05-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2025-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-07-07
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-16
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-05-16
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-05-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-09-30