GCN (SCOTLAND) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC143817 · ltd · incorporated 1993-04-13
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
—
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Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£1.89M
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Special-situation opportunity
Distressed transport with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -32% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 17.8y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 17.8 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, 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
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
95 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,887,023
Cash YoY
-32%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£333k
↓ 32% YoY
Net Worth
£1.9m
↑ 3.4% YoY
Current Assets
£1.5m
↓ 15% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£377k£755k£1.1m£1.5m£1.9mApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Total assets£2.03M£1.98M
Current assets£1.48M£1.74M
Cash£333.1k£491.6k
Debtors£1.12M£1.22M
Net assets£1.89M£1.83M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

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

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-07-05
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  3. 2025-07-01
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  4. 2025-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-07-06
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  6. 2024-07-02
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  7. 2024-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-08-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-01-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-05-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2012-01-30
    ➕
    BUCHANAN, Thomas appointed
    director
  18. 2010-05-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  19. 2009-07-20
    ➖
    KIRKPATRICK, Catherine resigned
    director
  20. 2009-06-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2008-07-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2005-09-16
    ➕
    KIRKPATRICK, Nigel appointed
    secretary
  23. 2005-09-16
    ➖
    HILL, Catherine Ann resigned
    secretary
  24. 2001-09-10
    ➖
    DICKSON, Louise resigned
    secretary
  25. 2001-09-10
    ➕
    HILL, Catherine Ann appointed
    secretary
  26. 2001-09-10
    ➕
    KIRKPATRICK, Catherine appointed
    director
  27. 1995-11-01
    ➕
    KIRKPATRICK, Nigel appointed
    director
  28. 1995-01-01
    ➖
    KILPATRICK, Catherine resigned
    director
  29. 1993-04-13
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As GCN (SCOTLAND) LIMITED
  30. 1993-04-13
    ➕
    DICKSON, Louise appointed
    secretary
  31. 1993-04-13
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 1993-04-13
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  33. 1993-04-13
    ➕
    KILPATRICK, Catherine appointed
    director
  34. 1993-04-13
    ➕
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  35. 1993-04-13
    ➖
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

81/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 33 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 high ·
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-04-27

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Nigel Kirkpatrick
Individual · British · DOB 07/1958 · age 68
——sig. influencesignificant influence01/07/2016

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated1993-04-13
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

4d Auchingramont Road
Hamilton
ML3 6JT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-04-27OVERDUE
Last: 2025-04-13

Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)

KIRKPATRICK, Nigel→
secretary · appointed 2005-09-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHANAN, Thomas→
director · ~62y · appointed 2012-01-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
KIRKPATRICK, Nigel→
director · ~68y · appointed 1995-11-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DICKSON, Louise→
secretary · appointed 1993-04-13 · resigned 2001-09-10
Resigned
HILL, Catherine Ann→
secretary · appointed 2001-09-10 · resigned 2005-09-16
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-04-13 · resigned 1993-04-13
Resigned
KILPATRICK, Catherine→
director · ~65y · appointed 1993-04-13 · resigned 1995-01-01
Resigned
KIRKPATRICK, Catherine→
director · ~65y · appointed 2001-09-10 · resigned 2009-07-20
Resigned
COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1993-04-13 · resigned 1993-04-13
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Floating charge1 property12/06/2009—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property11/07/200824/05/2010
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (95 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-30
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2025-07-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-03
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2025-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-30
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2024-07-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-04
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2024-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-17