NEXT GEAR LEASING LTD
Opportunity 73/100 (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: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-11-30 | 2024-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £7.2k | £6.2k |
| Current assets | £6.2k | £6.6k |
| Debtors | £6.2k | £6.6k |
| Net assets | £-40.4k | £-32.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 change-of-name
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-01✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2026-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-02-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2008-11-19🏢Company incorporatedAs NEXT GEAR LEASING LTD
- 2008-11-19➕SMALLWOOD, Clare appointedsecretary
- 2008-11-19➕SMALLWOOD, Stuart appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +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.
- +No director turnover: Company is 18 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- 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 ·Name changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2026-04-01: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Stuart Smallwood Individual · British · DOB 08/1973 · age 53 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Financial services · SY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKROYD AND SMITHERS LTD→ 12518975 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ANCA INVESTMENTS LTD→ 05177508 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| COMMERCIAL & ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 09942131 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| D B ROBERTS MORTGAGE SERVICES LTD→ 07181465 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DAVID BURFORD INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISERS LTD→ 05470816 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| DAVID REYNOLDS FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 08308919 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| DHM (CONNAH) INVESTMENTS→ 12133766 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| DIRECT MORTGAGE CONNECTION LTD→ 04063566 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| DN CREDIT LIMITED→ 16133414 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DOUGLAS MARTIN ASSOCIATES LTD→ 05890756 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| DOUGLAS MARTIN CONSULTING LTD→ 07744916 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| EDE FINANCIAL LTD→ 15682277 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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 →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 (2 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.