AUTO DEFIANCE LTD
🌳Matureactive
07543384 · ltd · incorporated 2011-02-25
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 45200SIC 45200
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 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
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
38 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-28 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 4 | 600 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-10-29📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-08📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-03-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-23➕SADOTTI, Nina appointeddirector
- 2015-03-23➖SADOTTI, Nina resignedsecretary
- 2011-02-25🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTO DEFIANCE LTD
- 2011-02-25➕HORTON, Matthew appointeddirector
- 2011-02-25➕SADOTTI, Nina appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
68/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
59/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Nina Sadotti Individual · British · DOB 11/1981 · age 45 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 16/04/2016 |
Mr Matthew William Horton Individual · British · DOB 02/1981 · age 45 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 16/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUTO REAL LTD→ 16418463 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AUTO SPRAY (WIRRAL) LTD→ 13914355 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AUTO365 LTD→ 12388009 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE WINDSCREENS LIMITED→ 02196952 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| B M WIRRAL LIMITED→ 11870064 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| B.R.D TYRES LTD→ 16966238 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BARKERS MOTORS LIMITED→ 06593574 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| BD SERVICE CENTRE LIMITED→ 16270761 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BEEMER MIRRORS LTD→ 16359270 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BELL AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED→ 08948447 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BELVIDERE AUTO SERVICES (WALLASEY) LIMITED→ 01341374 · est 1977 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| BEN WILD MOTORS LTD→ 07851747 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2011-02-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112
Registered office
24 Welsh Road
Garden City
Deeside
Clwyd
CH5 2RA
Wales
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-11
Last: 2026-02-25
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
HORTON, Matthew→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2011-02-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SADOTTI, Nina→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2015-03-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SADOTTI, Nina→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2011-02-25 · resigned 2015-03-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (38 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-05
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-11-01
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-11