BENTLEYS RESTAURANTS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
05103255 · ltd · incorporated 2004-04-16
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 2025
Net worth
£2.68M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of beer
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 55100Hotels and similar accommodation
  • 56101Licenced restaurants
  • 56302Public houses and bars
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 72-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 72). 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 11.3y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 11.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (71/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 4 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
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
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
76 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 · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £2,682,646

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£912k
Net Worth
£2.7m
Current Assets
£1.0m
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-31
Total assets£2.68M
Current assets£1.04M
Cash£911.8k
Debtors£68.1k
Net assets£2.68M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  2. 2026-02-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-10-30
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  4. 2025-10-29
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2025-10-29
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  6. 2024-12-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-12-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-04-30
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  12. 2019-10-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  13. 2019-10-15
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  14. 2019-06-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-12-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-02-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  17. 2008-03-14
    ➕
    STAFFORD, Amanda Jane appointed
    secretary
  18. 2008-03-14
    ➖
    COUGHLAN, Aidan Thomas resigned
    secretary
  19. 2008-03-14
    ➖
    PURNELL, Terence James resigned
    director
  20. 2005-11-18
    ➖
    STEPHENSON, Robert Arthur resigned
    director
  21. 2005-02-07
    ➕
    COUGHLAN, Aidan Thomas appointed
    director
  22. 2005-02-07
    ➕
    COUGHLAN, Aidan Thomas appointed
    secretary
  23. 2005-02-07
    ➖
    BIRKETTS SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  24. 2005-02-07
    ➕
    PURNELL, Terence James appointed
    director
  25. 2005-02-07
    ➕
    STEPHENSON, Robert Arthur appointed
    director
  26. 2005-02-07
    ➖
    BIRKETTS DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director
  27. 2004-04-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BENTLEYS RESTAURANTS LIMITED
  28. 2004-04-16
    ➕
    BIRKETTS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  29. 2004-04-16
    ➕
    BIRKETTS DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-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 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
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 72 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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 Aidan Coughlan
Individual · Irish · DOB 02/1954 · age 72
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control01/06/2016

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 →

Similar companies

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
BIG DROP BREWING COMPANY LIMITED→
10305828 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
BIOSYNC LIMITED→
15956211 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
BLACK DOG DELI FOODS LIMITED→
11058959 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
————8y——
BREWSHED LTD→
10333716 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
BROWNIE AND THE BEAN LIMITED→
11972831 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
BUNFLUFF LTD→
14921949 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
BURNT MILL BREWERY LTD→
10304901 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
BUTTER DROP BAKERY LIMITED→
16857792 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
CAFRICA ROASTERS LTD→
16240973 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
CAKE AT 64 THE BAKE SHED LIMITED→
16431399 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
CAMSTAR HERBS LIMITED→
01413300 · est 1979 · no financials extracted
————47y——
CAMSTAR INGREDIENTS LIMITED→
07849130 · est 2011 · no financials extracted
————14y——
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
Incorporated2004-04-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC11050 — Manufacture of beer

Registered office

Isaac Lord Merchant Quarter
7 Wherry Quay
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 1AS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-22
Last: 2026-05-08

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

STAFFORD, Amanda Jane→
secretary · appointed 2008-03-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COUGHLAN, Aidan Thomas→
director · ~72y · appointed 2005-02-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COUGHLAN, Aidan Thomas→
secretary · appointed 2005-02-07 · resigned 2008-03-14
Resigned
BIRKETTS SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2004-04-16 · resigned 2005-02-07
Resigned
PURNELL, Terence James→
director · ~69y · appointed 2005-02-07 · resigned 2008-03-14
Resigned
STEPHENSON, Robert Arthur→
director · ~69y · appointed 2005-02-07 · resigned 2005-11-18
Resigned
BIRKETTS DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2004-04-16 · resigned 2005-02-07
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
A registered charge—27/02/2015—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (76 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-03
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-10-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-10-29
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-28