STUART MACDONALD CARS LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC152462 · ltd · incorporated 1994-08-11
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£286.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 58). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 30.9y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 30.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 1 with DOB)
73
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
101 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £286,526

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£287k
↑ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£379k
↓ 13% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£87k£175k£262k£349k£437kSept 2023Sept 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2024-09-302023-09-30
Total assets£318.4k£245.6k
Current assets£378.7k£436.6k
Net assets£286.5k£241.7k

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-08
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  3. 2024-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-05-29
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  5. 2024-05-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  6. 2023-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-05-23
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  8. 2022-05-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: United Trust Bank LTD
  9. 2022-03-31
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2022-03-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  11. 2021-11-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2021-07-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-02-22
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  14. 2021-02-22
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  15. 2020-05-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2019-11-28
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  17. 2019-03-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-01-07
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  19. 2018-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  20. 2015-01-26
    ➕
    MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred appointed
    secretary
  21. 2015-01-20
    ➖
    MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred resigned
    secretary
  22. 2014-08-11
    ➖
    MACDONALD, Ruth resigned
    secretary
  23. 2014-08-11
    ➕
    MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred appointed
    secretary
  24. 2013-05-30
    ➕
    MACDONALD, Ruth appointed
    secretary
  25. 2013-05-30
    ➖
    MACDONALD, Sarah Fiona resigned
    secretary
  26. 2001-12-03
    ➖
    MACDONALD, James Sloan resigned
    secretary
  27. 2001-12-03
    ➕
    MACDONALD, Sarah Fiona appointed
    secretary
  28. 1995-06-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  29. 1994-08-11
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As STUART MACDONALD CARS LTD.
  30. 1994-08-11
    ➕
    MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred appointed
    director
  31. 1994-08-11
    ➕
    MACDONALD, James Sloan appointed
    secretary
  32. 1994-08-11
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  33. 1994-08-11
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  34. 1994-08-11
    ➕
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  35. 1994-08-11
    ➖
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MACDONALD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Stuart Alfred Macdonald
Individual · Scottish · DOB 04/1968 · age 58
75–100%
—75-100% shares11/08/2016

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 →

Similar companies

Active · Automotive · KA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
KERR AND SMITH (CUMNOCK) LIMITED→
SC106800 · est 1987
£859.6k
£687.7k–£1.03M
——340038y8462y
AYRSHIRE MOTOR FACTORS LIMITED→
SC128561 · est 1990
———40035y8265y
COLVINS S.P.S. LIMITED→
SC212368 · est 2000
——£13.7k—25y8262y
JOHN M. PATERSON LTD.→
SC321496 · est 2007
———1619y8264y
KATTRAK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→
SC265073 · est 2004
———622y8278y
KERR AND SMITH (AYR) LIMITED→
SC182558 · est 1998
———1328y8281y
MACLEAY MOTOR ENGINEERING LIMITED→
SC214626 · est 2001
——£1.75M—25y8260y
MAYBANK MOTORS LIMITED→
SC164609 · est 1996 · no financials extracted
————30y8267y
PARKER BROS. (KILMARNOCK) LIMITED→
SC040009 · est 1964
——£109.0k—62y8259y
RIGHTCARS LIMITED→
SC245622 · est 2003
————23y8261y
BIKE AYR LTD.→
SC349414 · est 2008
————17y8071y
SMOKN LIMITED→
SC266659 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————21y——
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
Incorporated1994-08-11
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112

Registered office

4 Old Quarry Road
Stevenston
KA20 3HS
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-08
Last: 2025-06-24

Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)

MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred→
secretary · appointed 2015-01-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred→
director · ~58y · appointed 1994-08-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACDONALD, James Sloan→
secretary · appointed 1994-08-11 · resigned 2001-12-03
Resigned
MACDONALD, Ruth→
secretary · appointed 2013-05-30 · resigned 2014-08-11
Resigned
MACDONALD, Sarah Fiona→
secretary · appointed 2001-12-03 · resigned 2013-05-30
Resigned
MACDONALD, Stuart Alfred→
secretary · appointed 2014-08-11 · resigned 2015-01-20
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1994-08-11 · resigned 1994-08-11
Resigned
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1994-08-11 · resigned 1994-08-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
United Trust Bank
United Trust Bank LTD
A registered charge—05/05/202229/05/2024
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property26/06/199531/03/2022

Recent filings (101 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-28
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-01-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-24
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-05-23
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-07-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-02-22