D & J RITCHIE (CARS) LTD.

🌳Matureactive
SC315510 · ltd · incorporated 2007-01-29
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2025
Net worth
£-16.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
46 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £16,898
Cash YoY
+86%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£1k
↑ 86% YoY
Net Worth
-£17k
↑ 13% YoY
Current Assets
£3k
↑ 21% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
-£20k-£15k-£10k-£6k-£1k£3kJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£-16.9k£-19.5k
Current assets£3.2k£2.7k
Cash£1.2k£654
Net assets£-16.9k£-19.5k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-10-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-10-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-10-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-10-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-02-17
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-02-28
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-10-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2014-02-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2007-02-01
    ➕
    RITCHIE, Derek William appointed
    secretary
  17. 2007-02-01
    ➕
    RITCHIE, Derek William appointed
    director
  18. 2007-02-01
    ➕
    RITCHIE, Janice Mary appointed
    director
  19. 2007-01-29
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As D & J RITCHIE (CARS) LTD.
  20. 2007-01-29
    ➕
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  21. 2007-01-29
    ➖
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  22. 2007-01-29
    ➕
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  23. 2007-01-29
    ➖
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  24. 2007-01-29
    ➕
    PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  25. 2007-01-29
    ➖
    PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

99/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "RITCHIE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

79/100
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.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Derek William Ritchie
Individual · Scottish · DOB 10/1967 · age 59
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016
Mrs Janice Mary Ritchie
Individual · Scottish · DOB 04/1963 · age 63
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016

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

6 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
Incorporated2007-01-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200

Registered office

North Logierieve
Udny
Ellon
Aberdeenshire
AB41 7RN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-12
Last: 2026-01-29

Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)

RITCHIE, Derek William→
secretary · appointed 2007-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
RITCHIE, Derek William→
director · ~59y · appointed 2007-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
RITCHIE, Janice Mary→
director · ~63y · appointed 2007-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2007-01-29 · resigned 2007-01-29
Resigned
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-01-29 · resigned 2007-01-29
Resigned
PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-01-29 · resigned 2007-01-29
Resigned

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

Recent filings (46 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-02-19