SOUTHERN COUNTIES GARAGES LIMITED
⚰️Wound downdissolved
00413361 · ltd · incorporated 1946-06-21
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2014
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
54/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 47300Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 54/100 (worth a look), bankability 62/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 77). Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 8 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
9 live charges · 7 lenders · oldest 43.3y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 43.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 7 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (67/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
17 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
130 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
54/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
41
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · UK GAAP| Metric | 2014-12-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (48 events)Click to expand
- 2017-03-14📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2017-03-14🏁Company dissolved
- 2016-12-27📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2016-12-14📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2016-11-09📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2016-09-18📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2016-09-18⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2016-02-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-16📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-12-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2014-12-18🔒Charge registered #9Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2014-09-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-02-17📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-08-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-02-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2012-05-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-08-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-02-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2010-03-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-02-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2009-11-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-04-06📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2009-03-30📍legacyaddress · 190
- 2009-03-30📍legacyaddress · 353
- 2006-10-31➕LIDDLE, Jennifer appointedsecretary
- 2006-10-31➖KING, Jamie Albert Charles resignedsecretary
- 2005-01-01➖DONALD, Angus Bell resignedsecretary
- 2005-01-01➕KING, Jamie Albert Charles appointedsecretary
- 2004-12-31➖DONALD, Muriel Grace resigneddirector
- 2004-12-31➖DONALD, Walter Scott resigneddirector
- 1990-05-22🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 1990-05-22🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 1990-05-22🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 1990-05-22🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 1990-05-21🔒Charge registered #8Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1989-06-03🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 1989-05-23🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Brian Richard Cable &
- 1989-05-19🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Lombard North Central PLC
- 1988-09-24🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 1988-09-08🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Lloyds Bowmaker Limited
- 1988-09-08🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Esso Petroleum Company, Limited
- 1986-05-12🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 1986-05-07🔒Charge registered #2Lender: British Credit Trust Limited.
- 1983-02-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1946-06-21🏢Company incorporatedAs SOUTHERN COUNTIES GARAGES LIMITED
Owner dependency
81/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 80 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
2 high · 1 med ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2017-03-14
1 insolvency-related filing on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2016-09-18: legacy
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
🔒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 · RH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 TOUCH REPAIR (MIDLANDS) LIMITED→ 10115067 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 1 TOUCH REPAIR LIMITED→ 09103834 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| 24/7 MOBILE TYRES SERVICES LTD→ 16748148 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2K VEHICLES LTD→ 14542521 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 360 CARS LTD→ 12237728 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 4FRONT CAR SALES LIMITED→ 04366797 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| A & B AUTOZ LTD→ 16151868 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A J FROST LTD→ 04955049 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ABBEY (HOLMETHORPE) LIMITED→ 01148212 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| ABL PORTSMOUTH LIMITED→ 07129537 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ABT CAR CLINIC LTD→ 13675709 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACCELERATED MOTOR REPAIRS OXTED LIMITED→ 15469960 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
10 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
Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1946-06-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45111 — Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
Registered office
C/O Scg Ltd
1 Foundry Close
Horsham
West Sussex
RH13 5TX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2014-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 4 resigned)
Active
Active
Active
DONALD, Angus Bell→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2005-01-01
KING, Jamie Albert Charles→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-01-01 · resigned 2006-10-31
DONALD, Muriel Grace→
Resigneddirector · ~106y · resigned 2004-12-31
DONALD, Walter Scott→
Resigneddirector · ~108y · resigned 2004-12-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
9
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 18/12/2014 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 21/05/1990 | — | |
| satisfied | Brian Richard Cable & / Robert Malcolm Cable | Debenture | 1 property | 23/05/1989 | 22/05/1990 | |
| satisfied | Lombard North Central Lombard North Central PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 19/05/1989 | 22/05/1990 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bowmaker Limited | Legal charge | 1 property | 08/09/1988 | 22/05/1990 | |
| satisfied | Esso Petroleum Company, Esso Petroleum Company, Limited | Consolidating charge | 1 property | 08/09/1988 | 22/05/1990 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 12/05/1986 | 24/09/1988 | |
| satisfied | British Credit Trust . British Credit Trust Limited. | Consignment funding agreement | 1 property | 07/05/1986 | 03/06/1989 | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Confirmatory charge | 1 property | 22/02/1983 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (130 total)
gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2017-03-14
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2016-12-27
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2016-12-14
capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figure
capital · SH19
2016-11-09
legacy
capital · SH20
2016-09-18
legacy
insolvency · CAP-SS
2016-09-18
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2016-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2015-09-03
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-02-16
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2014-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2014-09-22
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2014-02-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2013-08-16
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2013-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2012-09-28