A E SMITH BODYCRAFT LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
06584117 · ltd · incorporated 2008-05-02
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
£240.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Special-situation opportunityDistressed automotive with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 55/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 17.9y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 17.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
60 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
50
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £240,064
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,418 YoY
Cash YoY
-23%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£172k
↓ 23% YoY
Net Worth
£240k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£341k
↓ 8.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £240.1k | £250.6k |
| Current assets | £340.9k | £372.7k |
| Cash | £171.7k | £223.0k |
| Debtors | £115.3k | £103.7k |
| Net assets | £240.1k | £241.5k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-05➖A J COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2026-02-05📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-27📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-05-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-05-10📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-04-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-03-18➖BRIGSTOCK, Kevin resigneddirector
- 2024-03-05📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2024-03-04📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2023-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-10-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-11-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-06-27🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2008-05-02🏢Company incorporatedAs A E SMITH BODYCRAFT LIMITED
- 2008-05-02➕THOMPSON, David Leonard appointeddirector
- 2008-05-02➕A J COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2008-05-02➕BRIGSTOCK, Kevin appointeddirector
Owner dependency
93/100
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 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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
1 med ·Has insolvency history
mediumCompanies House flags prior insolvency events. Review the insolvency filings for context.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David Leonard Thompson Individual · British · DOB 05/1967 · age 59 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 01/04/2017 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Kevin Brigstockceased 18/03/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · CM postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 MOBILE TYRES ESSEX LIMITED→ 15083884 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 3E VALETING CENTRE LIMITED→ 13916411 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 4WHEELS CAR PARTS LTD→ 15681510 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 4X4 REBUILDING LTD→ 11814077 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 720 PERFORMANCE LIMITED→ 13427347 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A J DEDMAN GARAGE SERVICE LIMITED→ 04819065 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A.D DISTRIBUTIONS LIMITED→ 16819562 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A1 DYNASTY LTD→ 10789711 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| A10 COMMERCIAL BRAKES LIMITED→ 16841106 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A2B LOUNGE LTD→ 16864161 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A2Z MOT TESTING LTD→ 11863195 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A3E RACING LTD→ 15233462 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2008-05-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
The Coach House
The Square
Sawbridgeworth
Hertfordshire
CM21 9AE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-16
Last: 2026-05-02
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
THOMPSON, David Leonard→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2008-05-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
A J COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2008-05-02 · resigned 2026-02-05
BRIGSTOCK, Kevin→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 2008-05-02 · resigned 2024-03-18
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 | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 27/06/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (60 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-08
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-01
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-10
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-05-10
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-05-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-04-25
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2024-03-05
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2024-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-17