1ST IN AUTO-LOCKS LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
Likely operating as a specialist automotive locksmith and vehicle security business, this Colchester-based company probably handles day-to-day services such as car lock repairs, key cutting, replacement, and related vehicle security work for retail and trade customers.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -69% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
1 public broker listing match this company. Unlock to see asking price, broker, and our match confidence.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £6.3k | £20.0k |
| Current assets | £33.5k | £53.7k |
| Cash | £9.7k | £31.0k |
| Debtors | £21.2k | £20.2k |
| Net assets | £6.2k | £19.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-08📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-07-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-09-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2004-09-01🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST IN AUTO-LOCKS LIMITED
- 2004-09-01➕MANSFIELD, Michelle Louise appointedsecretary
- 2004-09-01➕MANSFIELD, Anthony Francis appointeddirector
- 2004-09-01➕MANSFIELD, Michelle Louise appointeddirector
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- 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.
- 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Anthony Francis Mansfield Individual · British · DOB 04/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Michelle Louise Mansfield Individual · British · DOB 01/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.