C & M MOTORS (LANCASTER) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04820207 · ltd · incorporated 2003-07-03
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Aug 2025
Net worth
£52.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
63 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 · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £52,378
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£52k
Current Assets
£51k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £52.4k | — |
| Current assets | £51.4k | — |
| Net assets | £52.4k | — |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-29📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-31📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-07-31📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2003-07-08➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-07-08➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-07-03🏢Company incorporatedAs C & M MOTORS (LANCASTER) LIMITED
- 2003-07-03➕MURPHY, Andrew John appointedsecretary
- 2003-07-03➕MURPHY, Andrew John appointeddirector
- 2003-07-03➕MURPHY, Janice appointeddirector
- 2003-07-03➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-07-03➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
84/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew John Murphy Individual · British · DOB 04/1966 · age 60 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACM AUTOS LTD→ 14333626 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AERO MOTOR CARE LTD→ 16364017 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ATHERSMITH MOTOR SERVICES LIMITED→ 04277231 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AUTO EMPORIUM CUMBRIA LIMITED→ 14952344 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BAY MOT CENTRE LIMITED→ 05915694 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| BODYWORX DIRECT MORECAMBE LTD→ 13538084 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BORDER SALES LTD.→ 04160173 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| BOWLAND AUTOTECH LTD→ 16158474 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BRIDGE END GARAGE LTD→ 12772478 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CALLENDER CARAVANS LIMITED→ 00763604 · est 1963 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 62y | — | — |
| CAMP ROAD GARAGE LIMITED→ 05140876 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2003-07-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
C/O Blend Accountants First Floor Brunel House
9 Penrod Way
Heysham
Lancashire
LA3 2UZ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-07-05
Last: 2026-06-21
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
MURPHY, Andrew John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2003-07-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MURPHY, Andrew John→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2003-07-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MURPHY, Janice→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2003-07-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-07-03 · resigned 2003-07-08
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-07-03 · resigned 2003-07-08
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (63 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-05-30