BENNETT VAN SALES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
08731399 · ltd · incorporated 2013-10-14
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45190
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). 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 (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
33 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (20 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-10📄replacement-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP01CS01
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-09-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-11📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-02-13➕BENNETT, Theresa appointedsecretary
- 2014-01-16➖BENNETT, Theresa Marie resigneddirector
- 2013-10-14🏢Company incorporatedAs BENNETT VAN SALES LIMITED
- 2013-10-14➕BENNETT, Gerard John appointeddirector
- 2013-10-14➕BENNETT, Theresa Marie appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BENNETT" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Gerard John Bennett Individual · British · DOB 01/1961 · age 65 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 14/10/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Theresa Marie Bennettceased 15/10/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · WN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A J SHAW & SONS LIMITED→ 07398056 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| A6 BODYSHOP LTD→ 07395240 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ADVANCED AUDIO & SECURITY SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 15434569 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| APOSTLE MOTORS LTD→ 16508349 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ASHTON TYRE AND EXHAUST LIMITED→ 04621644 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ASPULL MOTOR VEHICLES LIMITED→ 04970493 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ASPULL VANS LTD→ 17058184 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AUTOMOTIVE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 15480054 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BARRY BROWN LIMITED→ 04433466 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| BASE RECOVERY AND SERVICE LIMITED→ 07893097 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BDS AUTOMOTIVE LTD→ 11929572 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BEWSEY ROAD CAR SALES LIMITED→ 16916813 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2013-10-14
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45190 — SIC 45190
Registered office
10 Broad O'Th Lane
Shevington
Wigan
Lancashire
WN6 8EA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-28
Last: 2025-10-14
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
Active
BENNETT, Gerard John→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2013-10-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BENNETT, Theresa Marie→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 2013-10-14 · resigned 2014-01-16
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (33 total)
replacement-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP01CS01
2026-03-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2020-10-28