R F MARTIN MOTOR ENGINEERS LTD.
Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 11.5y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £33.8k | — |
| Current assets | £81.5k | — |
| Cash | £45.2k | — |
| Debtors | £36.2k | — |
| Net assets | £-12.3k | — |
| Average employees | — | 300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-03-21🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2023-11-15📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2023-11-14📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2023-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-30📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2019-11-26📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2019-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: West of Scotland Loan Fund
- 2014-10-29🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2014-08-29🏢Company incorporatedAs R F MARTIN MOTOR ENGINEERS LTD.
- 2014-08-29➕HOLMES, Barry William appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Barry William Holmes Individual · Scottish · DOB 05/1976 · age 50 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 29/08/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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.
See pricing →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | West of Scotland Loan Fund | A registered charge | — | 18/11/2014 | 21/03/2024 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 29/10/2014 | — |