IAN MIDDLETON MOTORS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC161173 · ltd · incorporated 1995-10-23
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 Oct 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). 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
1 live charge · oldest 27.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 27.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
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
76 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 | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 100 | 100 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-02-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-01📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-03-01🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2021-01-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-11📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-10-01➖MIDDLETON, Sheila resignedsecretary
- 1999-03-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1995-10-23🏢Company incorporatedAs IAN MIDDLETON MOTORS LIMITED
- 1995-10-23➕MIDDLETON, Ian Alexander appointeddirector
- 1995-10-23➕FOOT, Leigh appointednominee-secretary
- 1995-10-23➖FOOT, Leigh resignednominee-secretary
- 1995-10-23➕MIDDLETON, Sheila appointedsecretary
- 1995-10-23➕MCINTOSH, Susan appointednominee-director
- 1995-10-23➖MCINTOSH, Susan resignednominee-director
- 1995-10-23➕TRAINER, Peter appointednominee-director
- 1995-10-23➖TRAINER, Peter resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MIDDLETON" — 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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. 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 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
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 Ian Alexander Middleton Individual · British · DOB 09/1964 · age 62 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH EAST CUSTOM COATINGS LIMITED→ SC738283 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| PREMNAY GARAGE LIMITED→ SC553025 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ROBIX CAR SERVICES & RECOVERY LTD→ SC882029 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| RWRMOTORS LTD→ SC694869 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| SJD MOTORS LTD→ SC571377 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| STATION GARAGE (KINTORE) LIMITED→ SC266008 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| SWACKIE AUTOS LTD→ SC855644 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| THE HERITAGE CAR COLLECTION ABERDEEN LIMITED→ SC691612 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| THE WALKER MOTOR GROUP LIMITED→ SC747703 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| THE WASHBAY LIMITED→ SC185151 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| TOM CALUS LTD→ SC742370 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| TOWER GARAGE MOTS LIMITED→ SC560451 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1995-10-23
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112
Registered office
The House
Old Rayne Sales Centre
Old Rayne
Aberdeenshire
AB52 6RX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-04
Last: 2025-10-21
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
MIDDLETON, Ian Alexander→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 1995-10-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FOOT, Leigh→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1995-10-23 · resigned 1995-10-23
MIDDLETON, Sheila→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-10-23 · resigned 2009-10-01
MCINTOSH, Susan→
Resignednominee-director · ~56y · appointed 1995-10-23 · resigned 1995-10-23
TRAINER, Peter→
Resignednominee-director · ~74y · appointed 1995-10-23 · resigned 1995-10-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 09/03/1999 | 01/03/2022 |
Recent filings (76 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-02-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-10-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-04-07
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-05