BIRO CARS UK LTD

💤Zombieactive
03920440 · ltd · incorporated 2000-02-07
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£1
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). 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: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1
Very low cash
Cash position: £1
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£1
~ YoY
Net Worth
£1
~ YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£1£1£1Jul 2024Jul 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-07-312024-07-31
Total assets£1£1
Cash£1£1
Net assets£1£1

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
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-04-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-04-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-04-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-04-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-04-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-01-08
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  8. 2021-01-08
    ✏️
    change-of-name-notice
    change-of-name · CONNOT
  9. 2020-04-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-06-18
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  11. 2019-06-18
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  12. 2019-06-18
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  13. 2019-04-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-02-26
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  15. 2018-04-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-04-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2006-08-30
    ➖
    HOWLETT, Gillian resigned
    secretary
  18. 2006-08-30
    ➖
    HOWLETT, David John resigned
    director
  19. 2006-08-30
    ➖
    HOWLETT, Gillian resigned
    director
  20. 2006-08-09
    ➕
    WOODHOUSE, Helen Lesley appointed
    secretary
  21. 2006-08-09
    ➕
    WOODHOUSE, Stephen James appointed
    director
  22. 2000-02-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BIRO CARS UK LTD
  23. 2000-02-07
    ➕
    HARRISON, Irene Lesley appointed
    nominee-secretary
  24. 2000-02-07
    ➖
    HARRISON, Irene Lesley resigned
    nominee-secretary
  25. 2000-02-07
    ➕
    HOWLETT, Gillian appointed
    secretary
  26. 2000-02-07
    ➕
    HOWLETT, David John appointed
    director
  27. 2000-02-07
    ➕
    HOWLETT, Gillian appointed
    director
  28. 2000-02-07
    ➕
    BUSINESS INFORMATION RESEARCH & REPORTING LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  29. 2000-02-07
    ➖
    BUSINESS INFORMATION RESEARCH & REPORTING LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

98/100
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 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
  • 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Stephen James Woodhouse
Individual · British · DOB 04/1953 · age 73
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 →

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
AK PRO GARAGE LTD→
13058777 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
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ALF CLASSICS LIMITED→
15223152 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ALLMAN JL LTD→
14941379 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ANH AUTOMOTIVE LTD→
15323071 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
AP MOTOR WORKS LTD→
16860047 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS (SALOP) LIMITED→
01385859 · est 1978 · no financials extracted
————47y——
BAILEY ASSET LIMITED→
15226718 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
BAYLEYS VEHICLE LOCKSMITHS LTD→
11509144 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
BELLMANS YARD GARAGE LTD→
07766080 · est 2011 · no financials extracted
————14y——
BRIT CLASSIC AUTOMOTIVE RECONDITIONED SPARES LIMITED→
10094169 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————10y——
BRM CLASSICS LTD→
15989888 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
BROOK CARS COMPANY LIMITED→
10313635 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2000-02-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45111 — Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles

Registered office

The Old School School Road
Edgmond
Newport
Shropshire
TF10 8LB
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-21
Last: 2026-02-07

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

WOODHOUSE, Helen Lesley→
secretary · appointed 2006-08-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOODHOUSE, Stephen James→
director · ~73y · appointed 2006-08-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HARRISON, Irene Lesley→
nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-02-07 · resigned 2000-02-07
Resigned
HOWLETT, Gillian→
secretary · appointed 2000-02-07 · resigned 2006-08-30
Resigned
HOWLETT, David John→
director · ~64y · appointed 2000-02-07 · resigned 2006-08-30
Resigned
HOWLETT, Gillian→
director · ~62y · appointed 2000-02-07 · resigned 2006-08-30
Resigned
BUSINESS INFORMATION RESEARCH & REPORTING LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-02-07 · resigned 2000-02-07
Resigned

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

Recent filings (72 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-15
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2021-01-08
change-of-name-notice
change-of-name · CONNOT
2021-01-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-04-09