KERR AND SMITH (AYR) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC182558 · ltd · incorporated 1998-01-30
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jul 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 81-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 81). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

5 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 28.0y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 28.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

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
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 7 with DOB)
86
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 accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Jul 2024Jul 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-07-312024-07-31
Average employees131400

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
4
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2026-01-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2026-01-20
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  4. 2025-03-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-04-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-11-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-11-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-05-17
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  12. 2018-05-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  13. 2018-04-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-03-07
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  15. 2018-03-07
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  16. 2018-03-07
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  17. 2018-02-09
    ➖
    SMITH, James Taylor resigned
    secretary
  18. 2018-02-09
    ➖
    MCCLURE, Donna Elizabeth resigned
    director
  19. 2018-02-09
    ➖
    SMITH, James Taylor resigned
    director
  20. 2018-02-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  21. 2018-02-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  22. 2017-05-22
    ➖
    SMITH, Chester resigned
    director
  23. 2017-05-22
    ➖
    SMITH, William resigned
    director
  24. 2016-09-16
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  25. 2014-09-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: West of Scotland Loan Fund
  26. 2013-01-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  27. 2012-10-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
  28. 2008-04-01
    ➕
    KERR, Paul appointed
    director
  29. 2008-04-01
    ➕
    SMITH, Chester appointed
    director
  30. 2007-10-01
    ➕
    MCCLURE, Donna Elizabeth appointed
    director
  31. 2007-10-01
    ➕
    SMITH, William appointed
    director
  32. 2002-08-23
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  33. 1998-07-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: General Motors Acceptance Corporation (UK) PLC
  34. 1998-04-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  35. 1998-01-30
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As KERR AND SMITH (AYR) LIMITED
  36. 1998-01-30
    ➕
    KERR, William appointed
    director
  37. 1998-01-30
    ➕
    REID, Brian appointed
    nominee-secretary
  38. 1998-01-30
    ➖
    REID, Brian resigned
    nominee-secretary
  39. 1998-01-30
    ➕
    SMITH, James Taylor appointed
    secretary
  40. 1998-01-30
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen appointed
    nominee-director
  41. 1998-01-30
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen resigned
    nominee-director
  42. 1998-01-30
    ➕
    SMITH, James Taylor appointed
    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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "KERR" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 81 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
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 81 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 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 William Kerr
Individual · British · DOB 06/1945 · age 81
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control09/02/2018
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Kerr And Smith (Cumnock) Limitedceased 09/02/2018· 75-100% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1998-01-30
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200

Registered office

50 Green Street Lane
Ayr
KA8 8BE
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last: 2026-01-17

Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)

KERR, Paul→
director · ~54y · appointed 2008-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
KERR, William→
director · ~81y · appointed 1998-01-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
REID, Brian→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-01-30 · resigned 1998-01-30
Resigned
SMITH, James Taylor→
secretary · appointed 1998-01-30 · resigned 2018-02-09
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen→
nominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1998-01-30 · resigned 1998-01-30
Resigned
MCCLURE, Donna Elizabeth→
director · ~62y · appointed 2007-10-01 · resigned 2018-02-09
Resigned
SMITH, Chester→
director · ~56y · appointed 2008-04-01 · resigned 2017-05-22
Resigned
SMITH, James Taylor→
director · ~72y · appointed 1998-01-30 · resigned 2018-02-09
Resigned
SMITH, William→
director · ~52y · appointed 2007-10-01 · resigned 2017-05-22
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

5
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
West of Scotland Loan Fund
A registered charge—24/09/201417/05/2018
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property25/01/201316/09/2016
outstanding
NatWest Group
Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
Floating charge1 property24/10/2012—
satisfied
General Motors Acceptance Corporation (UK)
General Motors Acceptance Corporation (UK) PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property21/07/199823/08/2002
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property16/04/1998—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (106 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-28