W & H LESLIE (ABERDEEN) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC281256 · ltd · incorporated 2005-03-09
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 21.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£2.57M
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 21.1y

50/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
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
85
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 · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £2,571,466
Cash YoY
+23%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£503k
↑ 23% YoY
Net Worth
£2.6m
↑ 10% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£514k£1.0m£1.5m£2.1m£2.6mApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Cash£503.3k£409.0k
Net assets£2.57M£2.33M

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 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
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-01-30
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  8. 2019-11-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-01-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-03-15
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2016-03-11
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  14. 2016-02-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  15. 2016-02-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-06-05
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2014-09-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  18. 2010-10-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
  19. 2008-07-11
    ➖
    LESLIE, William Gammie resigned
    director
  20. 2005-04-27
    ➕
    LESLIE, William Gammie appointed
    director
  21. 2005-04-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2005-03-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As W & H LESLIE (ABERDEEN) LIMITED
  23. 2005-03-09
    ➕
    MANN, Carole Anne appointed
    secretary
  24. 2005-03-09
    ➕
    HENDERSON, Alistair James appointed
    director
  25. 2005-03-09
    ➕
    MANN, Carole Anne appointed
    director
  26. 2005-03-09
    ➕
    MOIR, James Patrick appointed
    director
  27. 2005-03-09
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2005-03-09
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

75/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
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 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

3 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alistair James Henderson
Individual · British · DOB 02/1961 · age 65
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting09/03/2017
Mr James Patrick Moir
Individual · British · DOB 06/1968 · age 58
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting09/03/2017
Mrs Carole Anne Mann
Individual · British · DOB 10/1967 · age 59
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting09/03/2017

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

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Similar companies

Active · Transport & logistics · AB postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
MCPHERSON LIMITED→
SC218508 · est 2001
£12.40M
£9.30M–£15.49M
——45725y8471y
STREAMLINE SHIPPING AGENCIES LIMITED→
SC073938 · est 1981
£5.76M
£4.32M–£7.20M
£41.24M—2450045y8574y
DOUGLAS F MITCHELL LIMITED→
SC226015 · est 2001
£455.2k
£341.4k–£569.0k
——1124y8282y
TRANSPAN (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
SC124530 · est 1990
£52.0k
£39.0k–£65.0k
——7136y8358y
ALP (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
SC261031 · est 2003
——£246.4k—22y8361y
BOX POOL SOLUTIONS LIMITED→
SC286718 · est 2005
——£2.66M—20y8377y
CALEY COLD STORE LIMITED→
SC270634 · est 2004
——£3.28M—21y8373y
ENLIM (SCOTLAND) LTD.→
SC248672 · est 2003
———50023y8362y
HARBOUR HAULAGE LIMITED→
SC202822 · est 2000
——£951.9k—26y8362y
KEITH & DUFFTOWN RAILWAY ASSOCIATION→
SC157099 · est 1995 · no financials extracted
————31y8382y
SHETLAND LINE 1984 LIMITED→
SC088013 · est 1984
———041y8374y
A & W WILSON LIMITED→
SC287072 · est 2005
——£418.9k—20y8267y
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
Incorporated2005-03-09
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

Unit 8, Keir's Industrial Park Hill Of Cottown
Kintore
Inverurie
Aberdeenshire
AB51 0YA

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-01
Last: 2026-01-18

Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)

MANN, Carole Anne→
secretary · appointed 2005-03-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HENDERSON, Alistair James→
director · ~65y · appointed 2005-03-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MANN, Carole Anne→
director · ~59y · appointed 2005-03-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MOIR, James Patrick→
director · ~58y · appointed 2005-03-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-03-09 · resigned 2005-03-09
Resigned
LESLIE, William Gammie→
director · ~91y · appointed 2005-04-27 · resigned 2008-07-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property25/02/2016—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property01/09/2014—
outstanding
NatWest Group
Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
Floating charge1 property25/10/2010—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property27/04/2005—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (61 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-30
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-11-11