GILCHRIST STEELS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC059522 · ltd · incorporated 1976-03-05
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£878.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25990
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 46720SIC 46720
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (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: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -43% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 49.9y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 49.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
129 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £878,701
Net assets shrinking
Down £163,252 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 43% YoY
Cash YoY
-43%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£195k
↓ 43% YoY
Net Worth
£879k
↓ 16% YoY
Current Assets
£822k
↓ 22% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £931.4k | £1.09M |
| Current assets | £821.6k | £1.06M |
| Cash | £194.9k | £342.4k |
| Debtors | £548.0k | £595.5k |
| Net assets | £878.7k | £1.04M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 2 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (37 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-31➖MURRAY, Craig resigneddirector
- 2025-08-12📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-08-12📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-08-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-31➖MARTIN, William Barry resigneddirector
- 2024-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-14📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-07-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-11-02📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-10-31➖DUNN, John Edmund resigneddirector
- 2020-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-29🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2016-07-22➕MARTIN, Duncan Mcgregor appointeddirector
- 2016-07-22➕MARTIN, Gregor Duncan John appointeddirector
- 2016-07-22➖GILCHRIST, Thomas Marshall Muir resignedsecretary
- 2016-07-22➖GILCHRIST, George Richard Inshaw resigneddirector
- 2016-07-22➖GILCHRIST, Thomas Marshall Muir resigneddirector
- 2016-07-22➕MARTIN, William Barry appointeddirector
- 2016-07-22🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2016-05-20🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2016-05-20🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2002-05-01➕GILCHRIST, Thomas Marshall Muir appointedsecretary
- 2002-04-30➖GILCHRIST, George Richard Inshaw resignedsecretary
- 1995-08-07➕MURRAY, Craig appointeddirector
- 1978-11-20🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1976-05-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1976-03-05🏢Company incorporatedAs GILCHRIST STEELS LIMITED
Owner dependency
74/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 50 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Gregor Duncan John Martin Individual · British · DOB 08/1991 · age 35 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 22/07/2016 |
Mr Duncan Mcgregor Martin Individual · British · DOB 08/1962 · age 64 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr William Barry Martinceased 31/03/2025· significant influence
- Mr Thomas Marshall Muir Gilchristceased 22/07/2016· 25-50% shares
- Mr George Richard Inshaw Gilchristceased 22/07/2016· 25-50% shares
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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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G WEBSTER MANUFACTURING JOINERY LIMITED→ SC469477 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
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| H F CONTROLS LIMITED→ SC151777 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1976-03-05
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990
Registered office
Riverbank Works 28 Field Road
Busby
Glasgow
G76 8SE
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-02
Last: 2025-07-19
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
MARTIN, Duncan Mcgregor→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2016-07-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MARTIN, Gregor Duncan John→
Activedirector · ~35y · appointed 2016-07-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GILCHRIST, George Richard Inshaw→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2002-04-30
GILCHRIST, Thomas Marshall Muir→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-05-01 · resigned 2016-07-22
DUNN, John Edmund→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · resigned 2020-10-31
GILCHRIST, George Richard Inshaw→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · resigned 2016-07-22
GILCHRIST, Thomas Marshall Muir→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · resigned 2016-07-22
MARTIN, William Barry→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2016-07-22 · resigned 2025-03-31
MURRAY, Craig→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 1995-08-07 · resigned 2025-12-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 29/08/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 22/07/2016 | — | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 20/11/1978 | 20/05/2016 | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 20/05/1976 | 20/05/2016 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (129 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-22
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-12
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-08-12
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-07-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-28