BEN CROSS VEHICLE REPAIRS LTD
🌳Matureactive
07549541 · ltd · incorporated 2011-03-02
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 11.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
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 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 11.0y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
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
34 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
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 | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £428.2k |
| Current assets | — | £207.0k |
| Cash | — | £182.9k |
| Debtors | — | £24.0k |
| Net assets | — | £428.2k |
| Average employees | -400 | — |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-05-18📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2015-05-12📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2015-05-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2015-05-12🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2015-03-09📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-03-03➖CRUICKSHANK, James William Alexander resignedsecretary
- 2011-03-02🏢Company incorporatedAs BEN CROSS VEHICLE REPAIRS LTD
- 2011-03-02➕CROSS, Benjamin appointeddirector
- 2011-03-02➕CROSS, Katie appointeddirector
- 2011-03-02➕CRUICKSHANK, James William Alexander appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
91/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CROSS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Benjamin Cross Individual · British · DOB 04/1981 · age 45 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Katie Cross Individual · British · DOB 03/1981 · age 45 | 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.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · CA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A S TEASDALE LIMITED→ 05942229 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A-Z VEHICLE DISMANTLERS LIMITED→ 06879559 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ALDERSONS NATEBY SERVICE STATION LTD→ 16358055 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARMSTRONG AUTO TRADING LTD→ 14684933 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ATT COMMERCIALS LIMITED→ 07557595 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| AUTO PRISTINO LTD→ 15592604 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AUTOTEK WEST LIMITED→ 12172763 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BB SERVICES CUMBRIA LTD→ 12875331 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BEATY FLEET SERVICES LIMITED→ 13603238 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BELL TYRE SERVICES LIMITED→ 14516344 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BELLE VUE MOTORS (CUMBRIA) LIMITED→ 07251320 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| BEN HODGSON CARS LIMITED→ 06263945 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-03-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
Millhouse Greenspot
Kirkbride
Wigton
Cumbria
CA7 5EH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-16
Last: 2026-03-02
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
CROSS, Benjamin→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2011-03-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CROSS, Katie→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2011-03-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CRUICKSHANK, James William Alexander→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2011-03-02 · resigned 2013-03-03
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 12/05/2015 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 12/05/2015 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (34 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-08-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-11-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-07-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-03-04