CARNFORTH SERVICE & MOT CENTRE LTD
🌳Matureactive
09431663 · ltd · incorporated 2015-02-10
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company 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
23 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.
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 | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 400 | 400 |
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 (16 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-18📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2016-02-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-02-10🏢Company incorporatedAs CARNFORTH SERVICE & MOT CENTRE LTD
- 2015-02-10➕MORLEY, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2015-02-10➕MORLEY, Carol Louise appointeddirector
- 2015-02-10📄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 62 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 11 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 62. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Carol Louise Morley Individual · British · DOB 05/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Andrew Morley Individual · British · DOB 02/1964 · age 62 | 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.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · LA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACM AUTOS LTD→ 14333626 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AERO MOTOR CARE LTD→ 16364017 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ATHERSMITH MOTOR SERVICES LIMITED→ 04277231 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AUTO EMPORIUM CUMBRIA LIMITED→ 14952344 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BAY MOT CENTRE LIMITED→ 05915694 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| BODYWORX DIRECT MORECAMBE LTD→ 13538084 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BORDER SALES LTD.→ 04160173 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| CAMP ROAD GARAGE LIMITED→ 05140876 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| CAR SALES AND REPAIRS MORECAMBE LTD→ 16052978 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CARCRAFT BODY REPAIRS LTD→ 04908924 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| CARTWRIGHT COMMERCIALS LTD→ 17021530 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CASH4CLUNKERS LTD→ 16809476 · 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
Incorporated2015-02-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
18 The Drive
Carnforth
Lancashire
LA5 9JG
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-24
Last: 2026-02-10
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
MORLEY, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2015-02-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MORLEY, Carol Louise→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2015-02-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (23 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-06-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-07-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-02-13