CASTLE CARS (COURIERS) LTD

🚨Distressedactive
SC394860 · ltd · incorporated 2011-03-07
Investment thesis
Attractive distress candidate — real problems but workable structure.
Why interesting: Falling signals but no deal-breakers yet; room for negotiation and turnaround.
Why risky: Signals worsening; needs speed and capital discipline.
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
year to Mar 2024
Net worth
£-5.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
59/100
Worth a look
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 53201
Sector: Transportation & storage
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 53202Unlicenced Carrier
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 59/100 (worth a look), bankability 45/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
46 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
59/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
45
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
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 £5,465

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
-£5k
↑ 55% YoY
Current Assets
£41k
↑ 47% YoY
Current Liabilities
-£12k-£2k£9k£19k£30k£41kMar 2023Mar 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-03-312023-03-31
Total assets£56.4k£49.7k
Current assets£40.6k£27.6k
Net assets£-5.5k£-12.2k

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

Recent activity

Last 30 days
2
filings
  • 1 gazette
  • 1 dissolution
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • 1 gazette
  • 1 dissolution
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • 1 gazette
  • 1 dissolution
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-21
    📄
    gazette-notice-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ1(A)
  2. 2026-04-13
    📄
    dissolution-application-strike-off-company
    dissolution · DS01
  3. 2024-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-06-08
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  7. 2022-05-24
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  8. 2021-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-06-23
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  10. 2021-06-22
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  11. 2020-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-11-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-12-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-04-27
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2014-03-31
    GALLACHER, John appointed
    director
  18. 2014-03-30
    MURPHY, Christopher resigned
    director
  19. 2011-03-31
    GALLACHER, John resigned
    director
  20. 2011-03-31
    MURPHY, Christopher appointed
    director
  21. 2011-03-31
    MURPHY, Thomas resigned
    director
  22. 2011-03-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CASTLE CARS (COURIERS) LTD
  23. 2011-03-07
    GALLACHER, John appointed
    director
  24. 2011-03-07
    MURPHY, Thomas appointed
    director

Owner dependency

90/100
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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

83/100
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 67. 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 12 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 15 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

2 high ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-31

Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-21

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Gallacher
Individual · British · DOB 06/1959 · age 67
2550%
25-50% shares01/07/2016

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 · G postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
AZJER REMOVALS LTD
SC767172 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
2y
B&L AND SON LTD
SC828484 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
BADZA LOGISTICS LTD
SC852727 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
BLANTYRE VOLUNTEER LTD
SC364447 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
16y
CAMEILADINE LTD
SC595923 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
7y
CENTRAL CAB COMPANY (CUMBERNAULD) LIMITED
SC222116 · est 2001 · no financials extracted
24y
CERBERUS HOLDINGS GROUP LTD
SC877780 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
CGF PLUS LIMITED
SC634000 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
6y
CHARLTON EXECUTIVE LTD
SC712221 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
CHICKEN PLACE DELIVERY LTD
SC775605 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
2y
CLOUDSKY LTD
SC764649 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
3y
CNAL LIMITED
SC542559 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
9y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

11 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
Incorporated2011-03-07
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC53201 — SIC 53201

Registered office

The Cut
Uddingston
Glasgow
G71 7LT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-03-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2024-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-03-21OVERDUE
Last: 2025-03-07

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

GALLACHER, John
director · ~67y · appointed 2014-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GALLACHER, John
director · ~67y · appointed 2011-03-07 · resigned 2011-03-31
Resigned
MURPHY, Christopher
director · ~40y · appointed 2011-03-31 · resigned 2014-03-30
Resigned
MURPHY, Thomas
director · ~71y · appointed 2011-03-07 · resigned 2011-03-31
Resigned

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

Recent filings (46 total)

gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2026-04-21
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2026-04-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-30
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-06-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-07
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-29
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2021-06-23
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2021-06-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-21