AUTOCENTRE ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
03914610 · ltd · incorporated 2000-01-24
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 13.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£505.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 75). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 13.2y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 13.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
75 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 £505,100
Cash YoY
-0%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£302k
~ YoY
Net Worth
£505k
↑ 34% YoY
Current Assets
£536k
↑ 39% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £547.6k | £417.9k |
| Current assets | £535.7k | £384.7k |
| Cash | £302.4k | £303.6k |
| Debtors | £178.4k | £26.1k |
| Net assets | £505.1k | £377.2k |
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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-21📄dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspendeddissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
- 2021-05-21📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-05-20📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-05-11📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2020-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-06➕COURTNEY, James appointeddirector
- 2020-03-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-03-03📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2019-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-26📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2018-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-25📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2013-05-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2000-01-24🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTOCENTRE ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED
- 2000-01-24➕COURTNEY, Patricia Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 2000-01-24➕COURTNEY, Keith Patrick appointeddirector
- 2000-01-24➕COURTNEY, Patricia Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2000-01-24➕BREWER, Suzanne appointednominee-secretary
- 2000-01-24➖BREWER, Suzanne resignednominee-secretary
- 2000-01-24➕BREWER, Kevin, Dr appointednominee-director
- 2000-01-24➖BREWER, Kevin, Dr resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
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
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
90/100
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 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
James Courtney Individual · British · DOB 12/1979 · age 47 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Rachel Courtneyceased 06/04/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
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 · Automotive · BR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAMIR JAPAN MOTORS LTD→ 15137588 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACE TYRES COMMERCIAL LTD→ 10512275 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ASHBURTON SERVICE CENTRE LTD→ 04033651 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| ASP SHAREHOLDINGS LIMITED→ 12280506 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTO ASSIST GROUP LTD→ 16264518 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AUTOBAHN LONDON LIMITED→ 04704128 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE PROPERTY GROUP LIMITED→ 08377750 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SYSTEMS (BOOTH) LIMITED→ 12218508 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SYSTEMS (DENTS) LIMITED→ 12218392 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SYSTEMS (PAINT) LIMITED→ 12218348 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SYSTEMS (WHEELS) LIMITED→ 12220223 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 04208107 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2000-01-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
409-411 Croydon Road
Beckenham
Kent
BR3 3PP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-28
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-07
Last: 2026-01-24
Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)
COURTNEY, Patricia Elizabeth→
Activesecretary · appointed 2000-01-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COURTNEY, James→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2020-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COURTNEY, Keith Patrick→
Activedirector · ~75y · appointed 2000-01-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COURTNEY, Patricia Elizabeth→
Activedirector · ~73y · appointed 2000-01-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BREWER, Suzanne→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 2000-01-24 · resigned 2000-01-24
BREWER, Kevin, Dr→
Resignednominee-director · ~74y · appointed 2000-01-24 · resigned 2000-01-24
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 | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 30/05/2013 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (75 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-03-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-28
dissolved-compulsory-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · DISS16(SOAS)
2021-05-21
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2021-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-20
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-05-20