BETTER DRIVES SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
06772517 · ltd · incorporated 2008-12-12
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 Sept 2025
Net worth
£100
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). 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).
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
49 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £100
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£100
~ YoY
Net Worth
£100
~ YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £100 | £100 |
| Cash | £100 | £100 |
| Net assets | £100 | £100 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-21📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-14📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2023-03-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-03-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-04-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-12-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-09-30➖LEDDEN, David Andrew resigneddirector
- 2008-12-12🏢Company incorporatedAs BETTER DRIVES SERVICES LIMITED
- 2008-12-12➕SULLIVAN, Nicholas Paul appointedsecretary
- 2008-12-12➕SULLIVAN, Nicholas Paul appointeddirector
- 2008-12-12➕LEDDEN, David Andrew 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 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
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 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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
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 David Andrew Ledden Individual · British · DOB 05/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Nicholas Paul Sullivan Individual · British · DOB 06/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Other · YO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEAZER HOMES REIGATE LIMITED→ 00153009 · est 1919 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 107y | — | — |
| BIG BLUE OCEAN CLEANUP CIC→ 15993778 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BIGGA GREENKEEPERS BENEVOLENT FUND LIMITED→ 08827616 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BIRD & COMPANY DESIGN LIMITED→ 06848464 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| BLAKE MEWS MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ 06113234 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| BOB CLUBS YORKSHIRE LTD→ 11334281 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BODO PRODUCTION LTD→ 14506351 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BRITSAFE EOT LIMITED→ 14013074 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BROOKSBANK ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN LLP→ OC443456 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BROOMCO (3385) LIMITED→ 04995171 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| BUILDING FIRE SAFETY LIMITED→ 13198087 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BUILDING SAFETY LIMITED→ 13084227 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2008-12-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999
Registered office
Unit 55 Kelleythorpe Industrial Estate
Driffield
East Riding Of Yorkshire
YO25 9DJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-26
Last: 2025-12-12
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
SULLIVAN, Nicholas Paul→
Activesecretary · appointed 2008-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SULLIVAN, Nicholas Paul→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2008-12-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LEDDEN, David Andrew→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2008-12-12 · resigned 2017-09-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (49 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-20
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-11-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-14
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2023-03-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-03-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-03-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-20