ARNOLD CLARK AUTOMOBILES LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

SC036386 · ltd · incorporated 1961-04-28

Investment thesis

Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.

Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.

Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

not disclosed

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

79/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles

Sector: Wholesale & retail

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

45112SIC 45112
45200SIC 45200

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

6 live charges · 5 lenders · oldest 48.9y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 48.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 5 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 38/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (61/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile

address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

No iXBRL financials extracted

Lenders & charges

6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)

Directors & officers

17 officers (6 active, 17 linked, 14 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

4 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared

Director network

16 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

183 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

79/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filings

• 1 confirmation-statement
• 1 officers

Last 180 days

filings

• 1 confirmation-statement
• 1 officers

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (57 events)Click to expand

2026-03-23
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-06-30
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2025-06-26
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-06-26
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
2025-06-12
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-06-10
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: J.P.Morgan SE
2024-11-07
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-06
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-06
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-06
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2024-02-05
➖
GALL, Walter Glen Paterson resigned
director
2024-02-05
➖
GRAHAM, James Turner resigned
director
2024-02-05
➖
GRANT, Scott Ross resigned
director
2024-02-05
➖
HENRY, Carol Shirley resigned
director
2024-02-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-02-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-02-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-02-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-01-10
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-01-03
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-09-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2022-09-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2021-12-06
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-12-01
➕
GRAHAM, James Turner appointed
director
2021-12-01
➕
GRANT, Scott Ross appointed
director
2021-12-01
➕
HENRY, Carol Shirley appointed
director
2021-12-01
➖
MCLEAN, Kenneth John resigned
director
2021-12-01
➖
WILLIES, Scott resigned
director
2021-12-01
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-12-01
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-02-10
🔓
Charge satisfied #5
2020-12-31
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: Bmw Financial Services (GB) Limited
2017-04-10
➖
CLARK, John Arnold resigned
director
2016-01-22
➕
BORRIE, Russell Edgar appointed
director
2016-01-22
➕
CLARK, John Arnold appointed
director
2016-01-22
➕
COOPER, David Martin appointed
director
2015-05-19
➖
WALLACE, Hugh Dawson resigned
director
2013-11-19
➕
THORPE, Stuart Kenneth appointed
secretary
2013-11-19
➖
MCLEAN, Kenneth John resigned
secretary
2011-05-27
➖
KERR, Dugald Ferguson resigned
secretary
2011-05-27
➕
MCLEAN, Kenneth John appointed
secretary
2011-05-27
➖
KERR, Dugald Ferguson resigned
director
2009-06-16
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
2009-06-16
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
1998-08-11
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: North Lanarkshire Council
1998-08-01
➕
HAWTHORNE, Edward appointed
director
1998-08-01
➕
KERR, Dugald Ferguson appointed
director
1998-08-01
➕
MCLEAN, Kenneth John appointed
director
1998-08-01
➕
WALLACE, Hugh Dawson appointed
director

Showing most recent 50 of 57 events

Owner dependency

88/100

Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS

-5 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CLARK" — strong identity link between founder and business.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 65 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

1 med ·

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

Jagc Holdings holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.

🏛️

Jagc Holdings

Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares

significant stake

⬇

ARNOLD CLARK AUTOMOBILES LIMITED

This company · SC036386

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

4 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75% · fragmented

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr John Arnold Clark Individual · British · DOB 06/1973 · age 53	75–100%	75–100%	75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · trust interest	16/09/2021
Lady Philomena Butler Clark Individual · British · DOB 01/1947 · age 79	75–100%	75–100%	75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · trust interest	01/07/2016
Mr Adam Hugh Wallace Clark Individual · British · DOB 06/1974 · age 52	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · trust interest	16/09/2021
Jagc Holdings Corporate entity	25–50%	—	25-50% shares	16/09/2021

1 historic (ceased) PSC

Sir John Arnold Clarkceased 10/04/2017· significant influence

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

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C B & T LIMITED→ SC184828 · est 1998 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	28y	—	—
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CAC (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→ SC750707 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
CALEDONIAN VEHICLE SERVICES LIMITED→ SC617722 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
CALL DANNY CLAIMS LTD→ SC848486 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
CAR N TYRE MOT LTD→ SC699907 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
CAR SPA DETAILING LTD→ SC566763 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
CAR VILLAGE HQ LIMITED→ SC741395 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
CARDROSS MOTORS LTD→ SC791542 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
CARNTYNE TOWBAR CENTRE LIMITED→ SC531974 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—

Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →

🔒Tailored diligence questions

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.

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🔒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.

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Company details

Statusactive

Typeltd

Incorporated1961-04-28

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC45111 — Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles

Registered office

454 Hillington Road

Glasgow

G52 4FH

Scotland

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-04-08

Last: 2026-03-25