BOLTS CAR HIRE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC154841 · ltd · incorporated 1994-12-12
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Renting and leasing of cars and light motor vehicles
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 75). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 31.2y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 31.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (57/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
88 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-22
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  2. 2025-12-22
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-12-19
    ➖
    GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce resigned
    secretary
  4. 2025-12-19
    ➖
    GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce resigned
    director
  5. 2025-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-02-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-03-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-02-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-06-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-12-21
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2020-06-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-03-20
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  13. 2019-11-16
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  14. 2019-11-14
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  15. 2019-11-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  16. 2019-11-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  17. 2019-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2018-01-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2017-01-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  20. 1997-03-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  21. 1995-03-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  22. 1995-01-24
    ➕
    GARRIOCK, John Robert Simon appointed
    director
  23. 1995-01-24
    ➕
    GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce appointed
    secretary
  24. 1995-01-24
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 1995-01-24
    ➕
    GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce appointed
    director
  26. 1995-01-24
    ➖
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  27. 1994-12-12
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BOLTS CAR HIRE LIMITED
  28. 1994-12-12
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 1994-12-12
    ➕
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointed
    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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
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 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 31 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 ·
2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce resigned 2025-12-19; GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce resigned 2025-12-19

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Robert Simon Garriock
Individual · Scottish · DOB 05/1951 · age 75
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control · firm interest01/05/2016

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

9 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
Incorporated1994-12-12
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC77110 — Renting and leasing of cars and light motor vehicles

Registered office

Bolts Car Hire Limited
North Road
Lerwick
Shetland
ZE1 0NT
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-26
Last: 2025-12-12

Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)

GARRIOCK, John Robert Simon→
director · ~75y · appointed 1995-01-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce→
secretary · appointed 1995-01-24 · resigned 2025-12-19
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1994-12-12 · resigned 1995-01-24
Resigned
GARRIOCK, Arlene Joyce→
director · ~73y · appointed 1995-01-24 · resigned 2025-12-19
Resigned
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1994-12-12 · resigned 1995-01-24
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property07/11/2019—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property07/11/2019—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property11/03/1997—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Standard security1 property06/03/1995—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (88 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-23
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-12-22
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-23
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-22