AUTOCENTRE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05948582 · ltd · incorporated 2006-09-27
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 14.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£119.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 14.0y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 14.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 5 with DOB)
87
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
73 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £119,924
Cash YoY
+11%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£401k
↑ 11% YoY
Net Worth
£120k
↑ 1.2% YoY
Current Assets
£460k
↑ 9.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £152.9k | £166.5k |
| Current assets | £459.5k | £420.5k |
| Cash | £401.2k | £360.4k |
| Debtors | £50.3k | £48.6k |
| Net assets | £119.9k | £118.5k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-07-19📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-05-26📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-04-21📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-04-21📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2023-04-21📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-04-21📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2023-04-06📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-04-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-04-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-04-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-04-06📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-04-04➕BIRKETT, John William appointeddirector
- 2023-04-04➖DIXON, Peter resignedsecretary
- 2023-04-04➖DIXON, Helen Anne resigneddirector
- 2023-04-04➖DIXON, Peter resigneddirector
- 2022-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-03📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-01📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-10-01📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-10-25🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2016-07-13🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2013-04-29➕WATSON, Kirsty appointeddirector
- 2013-04-29➕DIXON, Helen Anne appointeddirector
- 2012-05-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2006-09-27🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTOCENTRE LIMITED
- 2006-09-27➕WATSON, Gavin appointeddirector
- 2006-09-27➕DIXON, Peter appointedsecretary
- 2006-09-27➕DIXON, Peter appointeddirector
Owner dependency
68/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
53/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Kirsty Watson Individual · British · DOB 10/1983 · age 43 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 04/04/2023 |
Mr Gavin Peter Watson Individual · British · DOB 04/1979 · age 47 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Peter Robert Dixonceased 04/04/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · Automotive · PR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.F.L. (AUTOFACTORS) LIMITED→ 01202420 · est 1975 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| ASGWESTCOAST LTD→ 15578916 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASHBY MOTORS LTD→ 13266441 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASHTON REPAIR CENTRE LTD→ 16732178 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AUDIO PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 02950815 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| AUTO DENT REMOVAL LTD→ 15954030 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AUTO ELEMENTS LTD→ 07321243 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| AUTO HUB GROUP TARLETON LTD→ 16797071 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AUTOCLARITYDIRECT LTD→ 12220084 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOFY LTD→ 16565979 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AUTOGEARBOX REPAIR SERVICES LIMITED→ 04834440 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS (PRESTON) LTD→ 08171329 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-09-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
Auto Centre
Friday Street
Chorley
Lancashire
PR6 0AA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-15
Last: 2025-10-01
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
BIRKETT, John William→
Activedirector · ~35y · appointed 2023-04-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATSON, Gavin→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2006-09-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATSON, Kirsty→
Activedirector · ~43y · appointed 2013-04-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DIXON, Peter→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-09-27 · resigned 2023-04-04
DIXON, Helen Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2013-04-29 · resigned 2023-04-04
DIXON, Peter→
Resigneddirector · ~60y · appointed 2006-09-27 · resigned 2023-04-04
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 | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 25/10/2016 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 24/05/2012 | 13/07/2016 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (73 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-02
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-07-19
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-07-19
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-05-26
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-04-21
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2023-04-21
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-04-21
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2023-04-21
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-04-06
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-04-06