BESPOKE COURIER EXPRESS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
07563898 · ltd · incorporated 2011-03-15
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 15.0y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
50 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £198.1k |
| Current assets | — | £346.8k |
| Cash | — | £41.6k |
| Debtors | — | £305.2k |
| Net assets | — | £124.2k |
| Average employees | 5 | — |
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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-01📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-12-01🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2025-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-27📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-03-26🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Close Brothers Limited (The “Security Trustee”)
- 2024-10-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-16📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-04-16🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2021-03-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-03-24🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Abn Amro Asset Based Finance N.V.
- 2020-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-12-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-12-21📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2011-08-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Venture Finance PLC
- 2011-06-09➕WHEATLEY, Lisa Anne appointeddirector
- 2011-06-09➖GENNINGS, Graham Charles resigneddirector
- 2011-03-15🏢Company incorporatedAs BESPOKE COURIER EXPRESS LIMITED
- 2011-03-15➕WHEATLEY, Lisa Anne appointedsecretary
- 2011-03-15➕WHEATLEY, Michael Andrew appointeddirector
- 2011-03-15➕GENNINGS, Graham Charles appointeddirector
Owner dependency
84/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
- 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
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael Andrew Wheatley Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Lisa Anne Wheatley Individual · British · DOB 12/1966 · age 60 | 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.
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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
Incorporated2011-03-15
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Lakeview House
4 Woodbrook Crescent
Billericay
Essex
CM12 0EQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-29
Last: 2026-03-15
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
WHEATLEY, Lisa Anne→
Activesecretary · appointed 2011-03-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WHEATLEY, Lisa Anne→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2011-06-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WHEATLEY, Michael Andrew→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2011-03-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GENNINGS, Graham Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2011-03-15 · resigned 2011-06-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Close Brothers Close Brothers Limited (The “Security Trustee”) | A registered charge | — | 26/03/2025 | — | |
| satisfied | Abn Amro Asset Based Finance N.V. | A registered charge | 1 property | 24/03/2021 | 01/12/2025 | |
| satisfied | Venture Finance Venture Finance PLC | All assets debenture | 1 property | 16/08/2011 | 16/04/2021 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (50 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-20
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-04-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-28
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-03-25