BENZO HOLDING CO LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
10670839 · ltd · incorporated 2017-03-15
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£-10.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45400
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 66). 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 9.3y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
23 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
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 £10,853
Cash YoY
+579%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£36k
↑ 579% YoY
Net Worth
-£11k
↓ 38% YoY
Current Assets
£47k
↓ 3.1% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £910.1k | £917.7k |
| Current assets | £47.2k | £48.7k |
| Cash | £35.6k | £5.2k |
| Debtors | £11.6k | £43.5k |
| Net assets | £-10.9k | £-7.9k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-09📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2024-02-16📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-02-13📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-02-09🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Atom Bank PLC
- 2024-02-09🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Atom Bank PLC
- 2023-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-01📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2018-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-02📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charles-court-order-extend-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2017-04-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Vida Asset Management Limited
- 2017-03-15🏢Company incorporatedAs BENZO HOLDING CO LIMITED
- 2017-03-15➕SEARLE, Paul David Rene appointeddirector
- 2017-03-15📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
95/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 9 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
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 Paul David Rene Searle Individual · British · DOB 03/1960 · age 66 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 15/03/2017 |
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 · BN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEETLEMANIA LTD→ 14056200 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BESPOKE DEFENDERS MOTOR COMPANY LTD→ 16032339 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BIRCHWOOD AUTO LIMITED→ 06510589 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BIRCHWOOD MOTOR GROUP LIMITED→ 06512050 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BN1 MOTORS LIMITED→ 14455951 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BRIGHTON MOTORCYCLES LTD→ 16527172 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BRIGHTON ROAD MOTORS LIMITED→ 13225006 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BRIGHTON TYRES AND EXHAUSTS LIMITED→ 16987126 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BRIGHTON VALETING CENTRE LTD→ 12238062 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BRIGHTON VEHICLE SUPPLIES LIMITED→ 11583438 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BRIGHTON, HOVE & DISTRICT MOTOR SERVICES LTD→ 16109567 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BTN MARINA CAR WASH COMPANY 2018 LIMITED→ 11397389 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated2017-03-15
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45400 — SIC 45400
Registered office
12a Marlborough Place
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 1WN
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-28
Last: 2026-03-14
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
SEARLE, Paul David Rene→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2017-03-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Atom Bank Atom Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 09/02/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Atom Bank Atom Bank PLC | A registered charge | 2 properties | 09/02/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Vida Asset Management Vida Asset Management Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 28/04/2017 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (23 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-27
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AAMD
2024-04-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-18
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-02-16
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-08