CHRIS BIRKBECK LTD

🌳Matureactive
05164447 · ltd · incorporated 2004-06-28
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£291.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-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
52 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 £291,629
Net assets shrinking
Down £12,235 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£292k
↓ 4.0% YoY
Current Assets
£217k
↑ 5.7% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£61k£122k£182k£243k£304kJul 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£291.6k£303.9k
Current assets£216.6k£204.9k
Net assets£291.6k£303.9k

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

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-05-20
    ➕
    BIRKBECK, Susan appointed
    director
  3. 2025-05-20
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  4. 2025-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-04-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-07-07
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  13. 2017-03-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-07-01
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2016-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-06-30
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2014-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2004-06-30
    ➖
    FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  19. 2004-06-30
    ➖
    FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  20. 2004-06-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CHRIS BIRKBECK LTD
  21. 2004-06-28
    ➕
    BIRKBECK, Susan appointed
    secretary
  22. 2004-06-28
    ➕
    BIRKBECK, Christopher appointed
    director
  23. 2004-06-28
    ➕
    FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2004-06-28
    ➕
    FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

99/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BIRKBECK" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 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

66/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

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 22 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

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 Christopher Birkbeck
Individual · British · DOB 12/1966 · age 60
75–100%
—75-100% shares27/06/2017

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

Similar companies

Active · Transport & logistics · CA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ANTHONY BELL LTD→
16950202 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
AWT TRANSPORT LIMITED→
11821957 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————7y——
C NICHOLSON CUMBRIA LTD→
14256548 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————3y——
C&K TRAVEL LIMITED→
15899293 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
CALDEW LOGISTICS LTD→
15165564 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
CAT CONTINENTAL LTD→
16506114 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
CHARLIE STOBBART HAULAGE LIMITED→
17121244 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
CHISHAKA LOGISTICS LTD→
16225774 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
CK LOGISTICS LTD→
13662442 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
CLARK BROTHERS HAULAGE LIMITED→
11729148 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
CM CABS CUMBRIA LIMITED→
16489376 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
CMOONEY LTD→
16217024 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
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
Incorporated2004-06-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

Westwood Garth
Brough Sowerby
Kirkby Stephen
Cumbria
CA17 4EG

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-12
Last: 2025-06-28

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

BIRKBECK, Susan→
secretary · appointed 2004-06-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BIRKBECK, Christopher→
director · ~60y · appointed 2004-06-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BIRKBECK, Susan→
director · ~58y · appointed 2025-05-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-06-28 · resigned 2004-06-30
Resigned
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-06-28 · resigned 2004-06-30
Resigned

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

Recent filings (52 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-08
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-04-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-01