CLAVELL CARAVANS AND TRANSPORT LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
05546491 · ltd · incorporated 2005-08-25
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 69-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 69). 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 9.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
68 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-31📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2024-07-29📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2024-07-29📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2024-07-29📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-07-29📄capital-alter-shares-consolidationcapital · SH02
- 2024-07-29📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2024-07-29📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-02📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-10-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-10📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-02-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2008-08-24➖CLAVELL (UK) LTD resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2006-09-11➕CLAVELL (UK) LTD appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2006-09-01➖HARNEISS, Joyce resignedsecretary
- 2005-08-26➖ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-08-26➖ABERGAN REED LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2005-08-25🏢Company incorporatedAs CLAVELL CARAVANS AND TRANSPORT LIMITED
- 2005-08-25➕HARNEISS, John Fredrick Charles appointeddirector
- 2005-08-25➕HARNEISS, Joyce appointedsecretary
- 2005-08-25➕ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-08-25➕ABERGAN REED LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +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 69 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 69. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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 21 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Fredrick Charles Harneiss Individual · British · DOB 04/1957 · age 69 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr John Fredrick Charles Harniessceased 01/08/2022· 75-100% shares
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
Active · Wholesale & distribution · LN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANDREW J MUSSON LIMITED→ 06446061 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ASTBURY COLLECTIONS LIMITED→ 08004938 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ATLANTIC HORIZON LTD→ 16811748 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BOTTLE & SHOTS LTD→ 15541935 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BR3W LTD→ 12392931 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BRITPAK TRADING LIMITED→ 15711372 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BUCKETS ANIMAL FEEDS LTD→ 10976902 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CAISTOR FARM & GARDEN MACHINERY LIMITED→ 10923817 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CATHEDRAL BLINDS LINCOLN LIMITED→ 13847584 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| CITY GLASS LINCOLN LIMITED→ 16829524 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CLAIRE ARMITAGE R.H.A.D. LIMITED→ 03797069 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| CLASSIC FURNITURE (BINBROOK) LIMITED→ 03233080 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2005-08-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46180 — Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products
Registered office
Lowgate House
Lowgate Road Conisholme
Louth
Lincolnshire
LN11 7LX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-15
Last: 2025-10-01
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
HARNEISS, John Fredrick Charles→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 2005-08-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HARNEISS, Joyce→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-08-25 · resigned 2006-09-01
ABERGAN REED NOMINEES LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-08-25 · resigned 2005-08-26
CLAVELL (UK) LTD→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2006-09-11 · resigned 2008-08-24
ABERGAN REED LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-08-25 · resigned 2005-08-26
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 22/02/2017 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (68 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-02
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-07-31
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-07-29
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-07-29
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-07-29
capital-alter-shares-consolidation
capital · SH02
2024-07-29
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2024-07-29
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-07-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-07