AFFORDABLE CAR FINANCE (NW) LTD
Opportunity 71/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. 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 (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-07-31 | 2023-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £710.1k | £247.8k |
| Current assets | £1.33M | £358.2k |
| Cash | £766.9k | £31.0k |
| Debtors | — | £327.2k |
| Net assets | £710.1k | £247.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (8 events)Click to expand
- 2024-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-13📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2022-10-04📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-07-13🏢Company incorporatedAs AFFORDABLE CAR FINANCE (NW) LTD
- 2021-07-13➕SMALE, Steven appointeddirector
- 2021-07-13📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Steven Smale Individual · British · DOB 04/1971 · age 55 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 13/07/2021 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · L postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16609625 LTD→ 16609625 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1ST CARSHOP 2000 LTD→ 17105001 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 555 GARAGE SERVICES LIMITED→ 16323691 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A & K MOTOR CLINIC LIMITED→ 07105782 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| A 2 Z CAR SALES LIVERPOOL LTD→ 13311028 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A A TRANSPORTER LIMITED→ 13151569 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A1 SERVICE AND REPAIRS LTD→ 12425091 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABAC TRANSPORT & TRADING LTD→ 00555517 · est 1955 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 70y | — | — |
| ACCIDENT REPAIR CENTRE WARLOCK LIMITED→ 16538428 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACR RECOVERY SERVICES LTD→ 16760556 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACW MOTORS (NW) LTD→ 16765515 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AFTERSALES AUTO SOLUTIONS LTD→ 15602300 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.