JH CARS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC332770 · ltd · incorporated 2007-10-22
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
—
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Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 45320Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. 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).

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, 2 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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
44 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.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Feb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-02-282024-02-29
Average employees400400

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 (17 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-09-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-11
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  6. 2021-11-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-09-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-06-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2015-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-11-03
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-11-14
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2007-10-22
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As JH CARS LIMITED
  16. 2007-10-22
    ➕
    HARRISON, James appointed
    secretary
  17. 2007-10-22
    ➕
    HARRISON, Lorna appointed
    director

Owner dependency

98/100
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.
  • +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.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 19 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

88/100
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.
  • 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
Mrs Lorna Harrison
Individual · British · DOB 03/1963 · age 63
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control11/01/2022
James Harrison
Individual · British · DOB 05/1969 · age 57
25–50%
—25-50% shares22/10/2016

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

Similar companies

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COOPER BROS LTD.→
SC376259 · est 2010
£994.7k
£795.8k–£1.19M
——6316y8382y
BROWNSBURN GARAGE LIMITED→
SC242933 · est 2003
———60023y8358y
GOPAL MOTORS LIMITED→
SC132600 · est 1991
——£29.5k—34y8378y
J.M.T. MANUFACTURING LIMITED→
SC099682 · est 1986
———40039y8375y
A. GRAY & SONS LTD.→
SC239040 · est 2002
——£252.5k—23y8289y
AUTO-TEK LIMITED→
SC085669 · est 1983
———642y8278y
B & B COMMERCIALS LIMITED→
SC371046 · est 2010
———60016y8270y
CANDERRIGG SERVICES LIMITED→
SC063543 · est 1977
——£60.6k—48y8261y
GRANT MILLER VEHICLES LIMITED→
SC266620 · est 2004
——£382.7k—22y8272y
HAMILTON TRACTORS (CARNWATH) LIMITED→
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——£568.9k—17y8267y
PARKS OF HAMILTON LIMITED→
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————39y8277y
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SC319442 · est 2007 · no financials extracted
————19y8279y
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.

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Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2007-10-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112

Registered office

Stable Road
Shotts
ML7 5DR

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-25
Last: 2026-01-11

Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)

HARRISON, James→
secretary · appointed 2007-10-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HARRISON, Lorna→
director · ~63y · appointed 2007-10-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Recent filings (44 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-11
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-11-28