KINNON MECHANICAL SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC277532 · ltd · incorporated 2004-12-17
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£627.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 11.6y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · 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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
57 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £627,092
Cash draining
Cash down 92% YoY
Cash YoY
-92%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£5k
↓ 92% YoY
Net Worth
£627k
↑ 6.7% YoY
Current Assets
£122k
↓ 26% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.15M | £1.13M |
| Current assets | £121.5k | £164.9k |
| Cash | £4.5k | £55.1k |
| Debtors | £113.7k | £106.4k |
| Net assets | £627.1k | £587.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-03-19🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2024-02-28📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-02-26🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Allica Bank Limited
- 2023-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-07📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-08-07🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2022-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-22📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-15📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2017-12-19📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2017-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-01-30🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2014-10-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2004-12-17🏢Company incorporatedAs KINNON MECHANICAL SERVICES LIMITED
- 2004-12-17➕KINNON, Alastair Munro appointedsecretary
- 2004-12-17➕KINNON, John James appointeddirector
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 "KINNON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +No director turnover: Company is 21 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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 John James Kinnon Individual · British · DOB 12/1977 · age 49 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Automotive · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEIL R PHILIP LTD→ SC331944 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| NORTH EAST CUSTOM COATINGS LIMITED→ SC738283 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| PETERHEAD MOTORS LIMITED→ SC113777 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| PITSTOP (ABERDEEN) LIMITED→ SC279770 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| PRECISION AUTOGLASS ABERDEEN LIMITED→ SC879984 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PREMNAY GARAGE LIMITED→ SC553025 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| RJ AUTOTECH LTD→ SC884099 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| RJRM ENGINEERING LTD→ SC833016 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ROBIX CAR SERVICES & RECOVERY LTD→ SC882029 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ROSEBANK GARAGE LTD→ SC838355 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| RUXTON'S GARAGE LIMITED→ SC240213 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| RWRMOTORS LTD→ SC694869 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-12-17
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
Kinnon' Garage Leylodge
Kintore
Inverurie
AB51 0XY
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last: 2025-12-17
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
KINNON, Alastair Munro→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-12-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KINNON, John James→
Activedirector · ~49y · appointed 2004-12-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 19/03/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Allica Bank Allica Bank Limited | A registered charge | 3 properties | 26/02/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 30/01/2015 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 09/10/2014 | 07/08/2023 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (57 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-11-22
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-03-25
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-07
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-08-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-02
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-02-25