GORDON CONNOR HAULAGE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC260191 · ltd · incorporated 2003-12-02
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). 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 21.1y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
55 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£0Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · IFRS
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Average employees100100

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 (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-09-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-09-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2022-11-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-10-29
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  7. 2021-10-29
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2021-10-29
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  9. 2021-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-03-12
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2021-03-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  12. 2021-01-13
    ➖
    CONNOR, Gordon resigned
    director
  13. 2020-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2016-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2005-04-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  19. 2003-12-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As GORDON CONNOR HAULAGE LIMITED
  20. 2003-12-02
    ➕
    CONNOR, Mary appointed
    secretary
  21. 2003-12-02
    ➕
    CONNOR, Mary appointed
    director
  22. 2003-12-02
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  23. 2003-12-02
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2003-12-02
    ➕
    CONNOR, Gordon 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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CONNOR" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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
Mrs Mary Connor
Individual · British · DOB 11/1963 · age 63
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Gordon Connorceased 13/01/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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

Similar companies

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
TIMBERBUSH TOURS LIMITED→
SC279983 · est 2005
£8.60M
£6.45M–£10.75M
——10921y8565y
EAGLE COURIERS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→
SC292831 · est 2005
£3.09M
£2.32M–£3.86M
———20y8761y
EAGLE COURIERS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
SC092113 · est 1985
£3.09M
£2.32M–£3.86M
——5041y8761y
A WILLIAMSON HAULAGE LIMITED→
SC306338 · est 2006
——£1.27M—19y8278y
A. JOHNSTONE HAULAGE LTD.→
SC283850 · est 2005
——£512.2k—21y8262y
ANDREW BLACK LIMITED→
SC224735 · est 2001
——£3.88M—24y8264y
BROUGHTON REMOVALS LIMITED→
SC181756 · est 1997 · no financials extracted
————28y8283y
CHAUFFEUR DRIVE SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC394052 · est 2011
——£231.3k—15y8265y
DEREK HEEPS LIMITED→
SC167126 · est 1996
———300029y8263y
DUNBAR REMOVALS AND STORAGE LTD.→
SC165409 · est 1996
———1330y8271y
E & M HORSBURGH LIMITED→
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————26y8266y
G.P.S. (EUROPE) LIMITED→
SC136694 · est 1992
——£990.1k—34y8274y
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
Incorporated2003-12-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

3b Ormiston Terrace
Edinburgh
EH12 7SJ
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last: 2025-10-17

Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)

CONNOR, Mary→
secretary · appointed 2003-12-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CONNOR, Mary→
director · ~63y · appointed 2003-12-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2003-12-02
Resigned
CONNOR, Gordon→
director · ~61y · appointed 2003-12-02 · resigned 2021-01-13
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property19/04/200512/03/2021

Recent filings (55 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-09-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-10-29
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-10-29
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-09-13
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-03-12