AUTOFIX (BUNTINGFORD) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05759552 · ltd · incorporated 2006-03-28
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 14.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£89.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 14.8y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 14.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (3 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
47 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £89,468
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£89k
↑ 4.5% YoY
Current Assets
£25k
↓ 27% YoY
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £99.6k | £105.3k |
| Current assets | £25.1k | £34.5k |
| Net assets | £89.5k | £85.6k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-22📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2026-04-22🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2025-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-11-10🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2011-09-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2006-03-28🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTOFIX (BUNTINGFORD) LIMITED
- 2006-03-28➕DRUCE, Sara Dawn appointedsecretary
- 2006-03-28➕DRUCE, Sara Dawn appointeddirector
- 2006-03-28➕DRUCE, Simon appointeddirector
Owner dependency
91/100
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 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
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 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Simon Druce Individual · British · DOB 03/1961 · age 65 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Sara Dawn Druce Individual · British · DOB 03/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 17/05/2024 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · SG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4TUNE PERFORMANCE LTD→ 11482231 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A & M MOTORCYCLES LTD→ 04970983 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A A GARAGE LTD→ 14196547 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A1 BN UK LIMITED→ 04980353 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ANDREW JACKSON UK LIMITED→ 06864413 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AUTO PERFORMANCE SERVICES LTD→ 14681789 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AUTOGRAPH VEHICLE SOLUTIONS LTD→ 07164272 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AUTOWELT LTD→ 15637075 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AVISON AUTOS LIMITED→ 08276274 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AW NEXUS LIMITED→ 15174502 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AZ AUTOMOBILES LIMITED→ 07554380 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| AZURE MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED→ 16563530 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated2006-03-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
Mutfords
Hare Street
Buntingford
Hertfordshire
SG9 0ED
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-11
Last: 2026-03-28
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
Active
DRUCE, Sara Dawn→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2006-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DRUCE, Simon→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2006-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Mortgage deed | 2 properties | 10/11/2011 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 09/09/2011 | 22/04/2026 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (47 total)
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-11
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-05-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-07-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-06-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-06-01