B M AUTOBODIES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04245303 · ltd · incorporated 2001-07-03
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 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 22.1y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
72 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (34 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-12-01➕HUGHES, Lea-Ann appointedsecretary
- 2025-12-01➖FARRAR, Ian Taylor resignedsecretary
- 2025-12-01📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-12-01📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2025-12-01📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-12-01📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-07📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2019-01-07🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2018-07-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-08🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Spf Bridging Limited
- 2004-07-02🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2004-07-02🔒Charge registered #2Lender: William Patrick Mealey
- 2004-06-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-08-01➕FARRAR, Karl appointeddirector
- 2003-08-01➕FARRAR, Ian Taylor appointedsecretary
- 2003-08-01➖MEALEY, Catherine resignedsecretary
- 2003-08-01➖MEALEY, William Patrick resigneddirector
- 2001-07-09➕MEALEY, Catherine appointedsecretary
- 2001-07-09➕MEALEY, William Patrick appointeddirector
- 2001-07-05➖BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-07-05➖BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-07-03🏢Company incorporatedAs B M AUTOBODIES LIMITED
- 2001-07-03➕BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-07-03➕BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED appointedcorporate-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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Karl Farrar Individual · British · DOB 03/1976 · age 50 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 30/06/2016 |
Ms Lea-Ann Hughes Individual · British · DOB 03/1975 · age 51 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 01/12/2025 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Ian Taylor Farrarceased 01/12/2025· 25-50% 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 · Automotive · BL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARDENMAIN LTD→ 04250605 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE EXPERTS PRIVATE LIMITED→ 15272550 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AUTOPLEX MOTORS LTD→ 13408164 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AUTOSHINE PRO LTD→ 13247627 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AUTOTECNIQ LIMITED→ 16346432 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AUTOWARE UK LTD→ 10786628 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AXIS VEHICLE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 16914284 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AYAANS AUTOBODY REPAIRS LTD→ 15003338 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BARKAT MOTORS LTD→ 15188684 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BBRS NW LTD→ 10592995 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BCVW LTD→ 11691211 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BEATUS PROJECT AND HEALTHCARE LTD→ 16236301 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-07-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
Star Works
Church Street
Bury
Greater Manchester
BL9 6BN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-07-17
Last: 2026-07-03
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
FARRAR, Karl→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2003-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FARRAR, Ian Taylor→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-08-01 · resigned 2025-12-01
MEALEY, Catherine→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-07-09 · resigned 2003-08-01
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-07-03 · resigned 2001-07-05
MEALEY, William Patrick→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2001-07-09 · resigned 2003-08-01
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-07-03 · resigned 2001-07-05
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Spf Bridging Spf Bridging Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 08/01/2018 | 07/01/2019 | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 02/07/2004 | — | |
| outstanding | William Patrick Mealey | Legal charge | 1 property | 02/07/2004 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 28/06/2004 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (72 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-06-26
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-12-01
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2025-12-01
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-01
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-07-01
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-04