COLIN M SMITH LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC094396 · ltd · incorporated 1985-07-22
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 10.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 10.1y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (5 active, 7 linked, 6 with DOB)
87
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
106 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 2100 | 2100 |
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-13📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-09-30➖SMITH, Roland Andrew resigneddirector
- 2017-04-07📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2016-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-04📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2016-12-01➕MITCHELL, Craig Scott Bissett appointeddirector
- 2016-08-10🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2016-03-12🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2012-03-07➕SMITH, Jonathen Munro appointeddirector
- 2012-03-07➕SMITH, Roland Andrew appointeddirector
- 1994-12-08➕SMITH, Pamela Jane appointeddirector
- 1994-12-08➖SMITH, Colin Munro resigneddirector
- 1985-07-22🏢Company incorporatedAs COLIN M SMITH LIMITED
Owner dependency
88/100
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
- -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SMITH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — 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 candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 41 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alexander Munro Smith Individual · British · DOB 07/1955 · age 71 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Jonathen Munro Smithceased 12/12/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZY STORES LIMITED→ SC704070 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BREW 360 LIMITED→ SC677479 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BUSY BABY VENDING LTD→ SC875870 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C S CYCLES LTD→ SC571525 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CANNYHAWN LTD→ SC811127 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CFS DUNDEE LIMITED→ SC778829 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CHAY CREATIONS LIMITED→ SC883807 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CLEGHORN CONVENIENCE STORE LIMITED→ SC818859 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CLOUDS HOUSE LTD→ SC865572 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COULL FISH LIMITED→ SC569172 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CS TRADING SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC744663 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CVUK LTD→ SC865932 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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.
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
Incorporated1985-07-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47540 — Retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores
Registered office
139 Castle Street
Forfar
Angus
DD8 3HN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-02
Last: 2025-12-19
Officers (5 active · 2 resigned)
Active
MITCHELL, Craig Scott Bissett→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2016-12-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SMITH, Jonathen Munro→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2012-03-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Pamela Jane→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 1994-12-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Colin Munro→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · resigned 1994-12-08
SMITH, Roland Andrew→
Resigneddirector · ~48y · appointed 2012-03-07 · resigned 2017-09-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/08/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 12/03/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (106 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-22
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-11