BENNETTS RETAIL TRADING LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
07492422 · ltd · incorporated 2011-01-13
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
—
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Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 14.8y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 14.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (59/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
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
58 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-11-22
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  4. 2024-11-22
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  5. 2024-11-22
    📄
    legacy
    other · AGREEMENT2
  6. 2024-10-01
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  7. 2023-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-12-18
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  9. 2023-12-18
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  10. 2023-12-18
    📄
    legacy
    other · AGREEMENT2
  11. 2022-12-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  12. 2022-12-08
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  13. 2022-12-08
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  14. 2022-12-08
    📄
    legacy
    other · AGREEMENT2
  15. 2022-01-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
    accounts · AA
  16. 2022-01-06
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · PARENT_ACC
  17. 2022-01-06
    📄
    legacy
    other · GUARANTEE2
  18. 2022-01-06
    📄
    legacy
    other · AGREEMENT2
  19. 2021-01-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  20. 2020-12-31
    ➖
    PALLANT, Andrew Bryn David resigned
    director
  21. 2018-02-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  22. 2013-04-11
    ➕
    THORNTON, Christopher appointed
    secretary
  23. 2013-04-11
    ➖
    SVOBODA, Sandra Dawn resigned
    secretary
  24. 2011-09-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  25. 2011-06-09
    ➕
    SVOBODA, Sandra Dawn appointed
    secretary
  26. 2011-06-09
    ➖
    M&R SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2011-03-21
    ➕
    PALLANT, Andrew Bryn David appointed
    director
  28. 2011-03-17
    ➕
    HUGHES, Robert John appointed
    director
  29. 2011-03-17
    ➖
    HUNTER, James Michael resigned
    director
  30. 2011-01-13
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BENNETTS RETAIL TRADING LIMITED
  31. 2011-01-13
    ➕
    M&R SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  32. 2011-01-13
    ➕
    HUNTER, James Michael appointed
    director

Owner dependency

93/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 15 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 candidate

Strong 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 15 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 15 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Hughes Electrical Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Hughes Electrical Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
BENNETTS RETAIL TRADING LIMITED
This company · 07492422

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Hughes Electrical Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016
Mr Robert John Hughes
Individual · British · DOB 09/1963 · age 63
——sig. influencesignificant influence06/09/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated2011-01-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999

Registered office

C/O Hughes Units 1-5 Warwick Court Ellough Industrial Estate
Ellough
Beccles
Suffolk
NR34 7FD
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-10
Last: 2025-12-27

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

THORNTON, Christopher→
secretary · appointed 2013-04-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HUGHES, Robert John→
director · ~63y · appointed 2011-03-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SVOBODA, Sandra Dawn→
secretary · appointed 2011-06-09 · resigned 2013-04-11
Resigned
M&R SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2011-01-13 · resigned 2011-06-09
Resigned
HUNTER, James Michael→
director · ~56y · appointed 2011-01-13 · resigned 2011-03-17
Resigned
PALLANT, Andrew Bryn David→
director · ~68y · appointed 2011-03-21 · resigned 2020-12-31
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge—01/02/2018—
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property05/09/2011—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (58 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-11-22
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-11-22
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2024-11-22
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-11-22
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2023-12-18
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2023-12-18
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2023-12-18
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2023-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2022-12-08