BIG VAN WORLD LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04302955 · ltd · incorporated 2001-10-11
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 Mar 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
60/100
Worth a look
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 60/100 (worth a look), bankability 37/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (38/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

13 live charges · 9 lenders · oldest 20.7y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 20.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 9 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

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
13 charges (13/13 with lender, 13/13 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
87 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
60/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
45
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
56
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Loss-making
Loss before tax £204,721
Slipped into loss
Moved from profit to loss this year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2023Mar 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-03-312023-03-31
Profit before tax£-204.7k£999.8k
Average employees23002700

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

4 signals 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
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (47 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-20
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  2. 2026-04-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #13
    Lender: Bca Vehicle Finance Limited
  3. 2025-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-04-02
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2024-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-09-26
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  7. 2023-09-26
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2023-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-04-21
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  10. 2022-04-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #12
    Lender: Lombard North Central PLC
  11. 2022-04-01
    ➖
    AUSTEN, Evelyn Frances resigned
    secretary
  12. 2022-04-01
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  13. 2022-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2022-03-08
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  15. 2022-03-03
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  16. 2022-03-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #10
    Lender: Whelford Properties Limited
  17. 2022-02-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #11
    Lender: Lombard North Central PLC
  18. 2021-03-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2020-07-01
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  20. 2020-06-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #9
    Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
  21. 2020-02-24
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  22. 2020-02-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  23. 2019-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  24. 2019-04-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  25. 2018-12-21
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  26. 2018-12-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  27. 2018-12-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  28. 2017-12-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  29. 2017-11-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: The Lower Mill Estate Limited
  30. 2017-10-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  31. 2017-10-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  32. 2016-02-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Firstrand Bank Limited Acting Through Its London Branch Firstrand Bank Limited (London Branch) T/a Motonovo Finance
  33. 2016-01-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  34. 2012-03-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  35. 2011-11-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  36. 2011-05-13
    ➕
    AUSTEN, Michael Stephen appointed
    director
  37. 2011-05-13
    ➖
    AUSTEN, Evelyn Frances resigned
    director
  38. 2011-04-28
    ➕
    AUSTEN, Evelyn Frances appointed
    director
  39. 2011-04-28
    ➖
    AUSTEN, Michael Stephen resigned
    director
  40. 2005-11-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
  41. 2001-10-11
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BIG VAN WORLD LIMITED
  42. 2001-10-11
    ➕
    AUSTEN, Evelyn Frances appointed
    secretary
  43. 2001-10-11
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  44. 2001-10-11
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  45. 2001-10-11
    ➕
    AUSTEN, Michael Stephen appointed
    director
  46. 2001-10-11
    ➕
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  47. 2001-10-11
    ➖
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

85/100
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 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

63/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple 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.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 high · 1 med · 1 low
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-31

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

9 live charges
low

Heavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.

Group structure

Big Van World Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Big Van World Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
BIG VAN WORLD LIMITED
This company · 04302955

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Big Van World Holdings Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting25/03/2023
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Michael Stephen Austenceased 25/03/2023· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

12 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
Incorporated2001-10-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112

Registered office

First Floor, 1 Des Roches Square
Witan Way
Witney
Oxfordshire
OX28 4BE
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-03-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2024-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-10
Last: 2025-09-26

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

AUSTEN, Michael Stephen→
director · ~47y · appointed 2011-05-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
AUSTEN, Evelyn Frances→
secretary · appointed 2001-10-11 · resigned 2022-04-01
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-10-11 · resigned 2001-10-11
Resigned
AUSTEN, Evelyn Frances→
director · ~66y · appointed 2011-04-28 · resigned 2011-05-13
Resigned
AUSTEN, Michael Stephen→
director · ~47y · appointed 2001-10-11 · resigned 2011-04-28
Resigned
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-10-11 · resigned 2001-10-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

13
Total charges
9
Outstanding
5
Active lenders
Status:Lender:13 of 13 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Bca Vehicle Finance
Bca Vehicle Finance Limited
A registered charge1 property15/04/2026—
outstanding
Lombard North Central
Lombard North Central PLC
A registered charge1 property20/04/2022—
outstanding
Whelford Properties
Whelford Properties Limited
A registered charge1 property01/03/2022—
outstanding
Lombard North Central
Lombard North Central PLC
A registered charge1 property25/02/2022—
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc UK Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property26/06/2020—
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property29/12/2017—
satisfied
The Lower Mill Estate
The Lower Mill Estate Limited
A registered charge1 property22/11/201724/02/2020
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property25/10/2017—
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property25/10/2017—
outstanding
Firstrand Bank Acting Through Its London Branch Firstrand Bank (London Branch) T/a Motonovo Finance
Firstrand Bank Limited Acting Through Its London Branch Firstrand Bank Limited (London Branch) T/a Motonovo Finance
A registered charge—22/02/2016—
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property28/03/201221/12/2018
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property01/11/201121/12/2018
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
Debenture1 property11/11/200514/01/2016
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (87 total)

mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2026-04-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-26
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2023-09-26
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-09-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-25
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-04-21
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-31
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-03-08