BILL STEPHEN MOTORS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC235937 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-27
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 5.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 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. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 5.2y

85/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 5.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

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
7 officers (4 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
62 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£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Average employees12001000

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-09-07
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  6. 2022-09-01
    ➕
    STEPHEN, Gareth appointed
    director
  7. 2021-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-03-01
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  9. 2021-02-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
  10. 2020-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-09-01
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2011-12-01
    ➕
    STEPHEN, Gareth appointed
    secretary
  18. 2011-12-01
    ➕
    STEPHEN, Kathleen appointed
    director
  19. 2011-12-01
    ➖
    STEPHEN, Kathleen resigned
    secretary
  20. 2002-08-27
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BILL STEPHEN MOTORS LIMITED
  21. 2002-08-27
    ➕
    STEPHEN, William appointed
    director
  22. 2002-08-27
    ➕
    STEPHEN, Kathleen appointed
    secretary
  23. 2002-08-27
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2002-08-27
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2002-08-27
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 2002-08-27
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "STEPHEN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

50/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — STEPHEN, Gareth (same surname) appointed 2022-09-01. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr William Stephen
Individual · Scottish · DOB 02/1958 · age 68
25–50%
—25-50% shares25/08/2016

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
Incorporated2002-08-27
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200

Registered office

Golf View
Cookston Road
Brechin
DD9 7QU

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-22
Last: 2025-09-08

Officers (4 active · 3 resigned)

STEPHEN, Gareth→
secretary · appointed 2011-12-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STEPHEN, Gareth→
director · ~40y · appointed 2022-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STEPHEN, Kathleen→
director · ~70y · appointed 2011-12-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STEPHEN, William→
director · ~68y · appointed 2002-08-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STEPHEN, Kathleen→
secretary · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2011-12-01
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2002-08-27
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2002-08-27
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
A registered charge—26/02/2021—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (62 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-08
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-08
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-03