AUTO BITS ONLINE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
08868773 · ltd · incorporated 2014-01-30
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (56/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
31 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
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 (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-26📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2024-09-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-18📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2014-01-30🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTO BITS ONLINE LIMITED
- 2014-01-30➕HARRIS, Darren appointedsecretary
- 2014-01-30➕HARRIS, Darren appointeddirector
Owner dependency
80/100
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.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 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 Darren Harris Individual · British · DOB 08/1974 · age 52 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 29/06/2016 |
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 · WV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST CAR GARAGE LIMITED→ 12086990 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BESTWAY MOTORS LTD→ 15305316 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BIRMINGHAM BRAKE SPECIALISTS LTD→ 06481486 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BMOT NIG LIMITED→ 16911420 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BMWILLENHALL LIMITED→ 11372324 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BODY CAR SG LTD→ 16192236 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BRADBURN MOTOR SERVICES LTD→ 15391238 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BTG AUTO REPAIRS LTD→ 17007044 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CABLE STREET BREAKERS LTD→ 16724620 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAPUS (U.K.) LIMITED→ 01661145 · est 1982 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 43y | — | — |
| CAR HOUSE 2000 LIMITED→ 05662630 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| CAR PERFECTION CARCARE LIMITED→ 08181648 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated2014-01-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45320 — Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories
Registered office
Autobits Scrap Metal Ltd Within Autobits Scrap Metal
Clarkes Lane
Willenhall
WV13 1HT
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-12
Last: 2025-10-29
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
HARRIS, Darren→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 2014-01-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (31 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-29
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-09-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-09-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-26
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-06-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-09-23