AUTO BENCH LIMITED
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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 105 (micro)Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £119.2k | £88.1k |
| Current assets | £321.1k | £270.4k |
| Net assets | £74.4k | £61.3k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-06-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-17📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-09-29➕LAVENDER, Sam appointeddirector
- 2021-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-08📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-04-02➖LAVENDER, Sam resigneddirector
- 2019-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-09📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2017-02-01➕LAVENDER, Sam appointeddirector
- 2016-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-03➖CARTER, Linet Elizabeth resignedsecretary
- 2015-03-03➖CARTER, Linet resigneddirector
- 2010-04-01➕LAVENDER, Simon Antony appointeddirector
- 2010-02-10🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTO BENCH LIMITED
- 2010-02-10➕CARTER, Linet Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 2010-02-10➕CARTER, Linet appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — LAVENDER, Sam (same surname) appointed 2022-09-29. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high ·Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-05-31
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Sam Lavender Individual · British · DOB 01/1988 · age 38 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 29/09/2022 |
Mr Simon Antony Lavender Individual · British · DOB 11/1955 · age 71 | 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.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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 · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.