AUTO ELITE RETAIL LTD
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -96% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 3.4y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Charge age ~3.4 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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 | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-44.1k | £-17.7k |
| Current assets | £57.3k | £71.7k |
| Cash | £188 | £4.6k |
| Debtors | £589 | £931 |
| Net assets | £-44.1k | £-17.7k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-11-23🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Gregory Francis Mcphail
- 2022-01-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-18📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-01-18✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2021-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-02📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-03-30➖MCPHAIL, Catherine resigneddirector
- 2020-10-27📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-10-27📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2019-08-28🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTO ELITE RETAIL LTD
- 2019-08-28➕MCPHAIL, Gregory appointeddirector
- 2019-08-28➕MCPHAIL, Catherine appointeddirector
- 2019-08-28📄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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Greg Mcphail Individual · British · DOB 02/1962 · age 64 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 28/08/2019 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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7 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 · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Gregory Francis Mcphail | A registered charge | — | 23/11/2022 | — |