AUTO ASSIST MECHANICAL SERVICES LTD
🌳Matureactive
09404939 · ltd · incorporated 2015-01-26
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£12.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (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: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
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
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
22 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
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £12,918
Net assets shrinking
Down £14,724 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£13k
↓ 53% YoY
Current Assets
£34k
↓ 41% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £17.6k | £38.1k |
| Current assets | £33.7k | £57.2k |
| Net assets | £12.9k | £27.6k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (15 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-26🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTO ASSIST MECHANICAL SERVICES LTD
- 2015-01-26➕RICKARD, Lee Antony appointeddirector
- 2015-01-26➕RICKARD, Sarah Amanda appointeddirector
- 2015-01-26📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
79/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
51/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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 Lee Antony Rickard Individual · British · DOB 03/1969 · age 57 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Sarah Amanda Rickard Individual · British · DOB 11/1968 · age 58 | 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 · RG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A WELSH MOTORS UK LTD→ 08240982 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ANDWELL AUTO REPAIRS LTD→ 10533803 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ANDYTRUC LIMITED→ 01219421 · est 1975 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 50y | — | — |
| ASAP AUTO SERVICES LIMITED→ 14417132 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASPIRE CARS LIMITED→ 11792570 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AUTO LANE GARAGES LTD→ 08958707 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| AUTO MASTER MARLBOROUGH LIMITED→ 15546574 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AUTOAXIS MOTORS LTD→ 15281824 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AUTOCODE DIAGNOSTICS LTD→ 16334931 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AUTOCRAFT (KINGSCLERE) LTD→ 07205098 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AUTOCRAFT (READING) LIMITED→ 06325115 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| AUTOCRASH UK LIMITED→ 05710407 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-01-26
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
139 Chapel Hill
Tilehurst
Reading
RG31 5DD
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-09
Last: 2026-01-26
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
RICKARD, Lee Antony→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 2015-01-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RICKARD, Sarah Amanda→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2015-01-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (22 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-10-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-01-27