A1 CAR SEARCH LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
08714283 · ltd · incorporated 2013-10-02
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 12.5y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£-265.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
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. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 12.5y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
37 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £265,304
Cash YoY
+112%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£44k
↑ 112% YoY
Net Worth
-£265k
↓ 26% YoY
Current Assets
£135k
↓ 57% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-265.3k | £-210.2k |
| Current assets | £134.6k | £310.7k |
| Cash | £43.6k | £20.6k |
| Debtors | £10.4k | £150.8k |
| Net assets | £-265.3k | £-210.2k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-06-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-06-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-30📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-10-08📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-10-07➕ROWE, Rhiannon Mai appointeddirector
- 2020-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-17📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2018-08-17🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2018-06-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-05📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2015-12-23🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
- 2013-11-26🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2013-10-02🏢Company incorporatedAs A1 CAR SEARCH LIMITED
- 2013-10-02➕ROWE, Kevin Adam appointeddirector
Owner dependency
71/100
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.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 13 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
49/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- 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 Kevin Adam Rowe Individual · British · DOB 09/1977 · age 49 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Rhiannon Mai Rowe Individual · British · DOB 04/1979 · age 47 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Automotive · RH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 TOUCH REPAIR (MIDLANDS) LIMITED→ 10115067 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 24/7 MOBILE TYRES SERVICES LTD→ 16748148 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2K VEHICLES LTD→ 14542521 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 360 CARS LTD→ 12237728 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 4FRONT CAR SALES LIMITED→ 04366797 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| ABBEY (HOLMETHORPE) LIMITED→ 01148212 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| ACCELERATED MOTOR REPAIRS OXTED LIMITED→ 15469960 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACCIDENT REPAIR HUB LTD→ 11756534 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACE AUTOLOCKSMITHS LIMITED→ 11874748 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACE SPEC ALLOYS LTD→ 15494411 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACHIEVE CONTRACTORS LTD→ 08995386 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ADVANCE AUTO TRADER LTD→ 16470810 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2013-10-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112
Registered office
Unit 22 Bolney Grange Industrial Park
Bolney
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 5PB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-03
Last: 2025-06-19
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
ROWE, Kevin Adam→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2013-10-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ROWE, Rhiannon Mai→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2020-10-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111) | A registered charge | — | 23/12/2015 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 26/11/2013 | 17/08/2018 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (37 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-06-30
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-06-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-06-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-06-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-10-28