CHRIS BELL TRADING LTD
Opportunity 71/100 (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: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 2.1y
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Newest facility, 2.1 years old — likely still in initial term.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (70/100)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 · FRS 102Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsFinancials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £76.2k |
| Current assets | £98.1k |
| Cash | £19.6k |
| Debtors | £50.9k |
| Net assets | £-3.2k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 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
Corporate timeline (6 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-24📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-06-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2023-12-04🏢Company incorporatedAs CHRIS BELL TRADING LTD
- 2023-12-04➕BELL, Christopher James appointeddirector
- 2023-12-04📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BELL" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Young company: Only 2.6 years old — management layer unlikely to be developed.
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 Christopher James Bell Individual · British · DOB 02/1982 · age 44 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 04/12/2023 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 18/06/2024 | — |