ASHTON MOT & SERVICE CENTRE LTD
💤Zombieactive
07517169 · ltd · incorporated 2011-02-04
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 Aug 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (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: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 7.0y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 7.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 5 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
51 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 300 | 300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-08-19📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-05-30📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-05-29🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Liberty Leasing Limited
- 2024-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-26📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-02-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-14📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2020-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-05-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2019-01-31📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-09📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2017-04-12➕PANCHAL, Ketankumar Hasmukhlal appointeddirector
- 2017-04-12➖PANCHAL, Viresh resigneddirector
- 2017-04-01➖PANCHAL, Ketan resigneddirector
- 2017-04-01➕PANCHAL, Viresh appointeddirector
- 2013-03-13➖PANCHAL, Viresh resigneddirector
- 2012-10-16➖LIVESEY, Simon resigneddirector
- 2012-10-16➕PANCHAL, Ketan appointeddirector
- 2012-10-16➕PANCHAL, Viresh appointeddirector
- 2011-02-04🏢Company incorporatedAs ASHTON MOT & SERVICE CENTRE LTD
- 2011-02-04➕LIVESEY, Simon appointeddirector
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
55/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 15 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ketan Panchal Individual · British · DOB 03/1985 · age 41 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 27/03/2018 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Viresh Panchalceased 27/03/2018· 75-100% shares
- Mr Ketan Panchalceased 01/04/2017· 75-100% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · PR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.F.L. (AUTOFACTORS) LIMITED→ 01202420 · est 1975 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| AAA AUTO SERVICES LIMITED→ 07853928 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AD MOTORS BY LTD→ 16279097 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AFB RECOVERY LTD→ 15454861 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AH BODYWORX LTD→ 15512978 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| APEX THEORY LIMITED→ 16560603 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARYAN TRADER LIMITED→ 15361581 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASGWESTCOAST LTD→ 15578916 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASHBY MOTORS LTD→ 13266441 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASHTON REPAIR CENTRE LTD→ 16732178 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASSISTECH LIMITED→ 08651499 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ASTBURY GARAGES LIMITED→ 02050535 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-02-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
Unit 15, Cable Court Pittman Way
Fulwood
Preston
PR2 9YW
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-21
Last: 2026-04-07
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
PANCHAL, Ketankumar Hasmukhlal→
Activedirector · ~41y · appointed 2017-04-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LIVESEY, Simon→
Resigneddirector · ~52y · appointed 2011-02-04 · resigned 2012-10-16
PANCHAL, Ketan→
Resigneddirector · ~41y · appointed 2012-10-16 · resigned 2017-04-01
PANCHAL, Viresh→
Resigneddirector · ~47y · appointed 2017-04-01 · resigned 2017-04-12
PANCHAL, Viresh→
Resigneddirector · ~47y · appointed 2012-10-16 · resigned 2013-03-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Liberty Leasing Liberty Leasing Limited | A registered charge | — | 29/05/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 21/05/2019 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (51 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-08-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-16
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-08-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-02-02
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2021-10-14