GEORGE MACKAY LTD.
🌳Matureactive
SC276111 · ltd · incorporated 2004-11-16
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£1.43M
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 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -76% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · oldest 20.8y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (4 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £1,433,792
Cash draining
Cash down 76% YoY
Cash YoY
-76%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£65k
↓ 76% YoY
Net Worth
£1.4m
↑ 4.3% YoY
Current Assets
£964k
↑ 2.1% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.88M | £1.85M |
| Current assets | £963.8k | £943.9k |
| Cash | £65.1k | £270.6k |
| Debtors | £571 | £11.5k |
| Net assets | £1.43M | £1.37M |
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 (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-02📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-09-29🔒Charge registered #3Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2022-09-09📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-09-06📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-08-31📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-08-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-05📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-03-21🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2019-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-03➕MAXWELL, Andrew John appointeddirector
- 2018-08-03📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2017-09-28📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2017-09-28📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2005-10-12🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2004-11-16🏢Company incorporatedAs GEORGE MACKAY LTD.
- 2004-11-16➕MACKAY, George appointedsecretary
- 2004-11-16➕MACKAY, George appointeddirector
- 2004-11-16➕MACKAY, Ross appointeddirector
- 2004-11-16➕PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-11-16➖PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-11-16➕PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-11-16➖PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-11-16➕PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-11-16➖PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
98/100
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
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MACKAY" — 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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
90/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr George Mackay Individual · British · DOB 07/1947 · age 79 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Ross Mackay Individual · British · DOB 07/1980 · age 46 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCHRIN AUTOS (EDINBURGH) LIMITED→ SC182971 · est 1998 | £271.2k £216.9k–£325.4k | — | — | 9 | 28y | 82 | 66y |
| AJM SPRAYING SERVICES LTD→ SC249637 · est 2003 | — | — | £623.2k | — | 23y | 83 | 64y |
| DALKEITH RETAIL CENTRE LIMITED→ SC324402 · est 2007 | — | — | £7.49M | — | 19y | 83 | 83y |
| GOGETA LIMITED→ SC292487 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | 83 | 69y |
| KAIM PARK GARAGE LTD.→ SC262902 · est 2004 | — | — | £3.14M | — | 22y | 83 | 62y |
| LOTHIAN BRAKEWAYS LIMITED→ SC147590 · est 1993 | — | — | — | 700 | 32y | 83 | 83y |
| PENTLAND COMPONENT PARTS LIMITED→ SC082096 · est 1983 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 43y | 83 | 86y |
| PERTH HONDA LIMITED→ SC366689 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | 83 | 69y |
| A F NOBLE & SON (PENICUIK) LIMITED→ SC337051 · est 2008 | — | — | £2.56M | — | 18y | 82 | 64y |
| BALERNO GARAGE LIMITED→ SC106176 · est 1987 | — | — | £95.2k | — | 38y | 82 | 77y |
| BRADBURY MOTORS LIMITED→ SC045969 · est 1968 | — | — | — | 900 | 57y | 82 | 64y |
| CSD VEHICLES LIMITED→ SC214276 · est 2000 | — | — | — | 0 | 25y | 82 | 75y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2004-11-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112
Registered office
Napier House
8a Colinton Road
Edinburgh
EH10 5DS
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-28
Last: 2025-11-14
Officers (4 active · 3 resigned)
Active
MACKAY, George→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 2004-11-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MACKAY, Ross→
Activedirector · ~46y · appointed 2004-11-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MAXWELL, Andrew John→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2018-08-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-11-16 · resigned 2004-11-16
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-11-16 · resigned 2004-11-16
PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-11-16 · resigned 2004-11-16
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 29/09/2023 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 21/03/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 12/10/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (62 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-01
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-10-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-24
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-09-09
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2022-09-06
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2022-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-08-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-10-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-01-20