GRAY & PRINGLE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC015071 · ltd · incorporated 1928-05-01
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£3.23M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46130
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 47520Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 18.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £3,234,934
Cash YoY
+12%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£2.3m
↑ 12% YoY
Net Worth
£3.2m
↑ 20% YoY
Current Assets
£3.6m
↑ 17% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £3.24M | £2.70M |
| Current assets | £3.65M | £3.11M |
| Cash | £2.33M | £2.07M |
| Debtors | £1.02M | £737.2k |
| Net assets | £3.23M | £2.70M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-12-15📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-11-16📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-11-16📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-11-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-24📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-12-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-11-29➖BARTON, Elizabeth Anne resigneddirector
- 2019-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-02-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Fife Council
- 2008-01-30➕BARTON, Elizabeth Anne appointeddirector
- 2008-01-30➖REEKIE, Alexander Gay resigneddirector
- 2004-02-07➕REEKIE, Alexander Gay appointeddirector
- 2004-02-07➖REEKIE, Gladys Ann Henderson resigneddirector
- 2001-03-15➖REEKIE, Robert resigneddirector
- 1994-07-26➕REEKIE, Robert appointeddirector
- 1990-09-11➕REEKIE, Robert appointedsecretary
- 1990-09-11➖REEKIE, Gladys Ann Henderson resignedsecretary
- 1928-05-01🏢Company incorporatedAs GRAY & PRINGLE LIMITED
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 98 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Robert Reekie Individual · British · DOB 10/1960 · age 66 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Wholesale & distribution · KY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BKA GROUP (SCOTLAND) LTD→ SC840043 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BURNS MCGLADE LTD→ SC800070 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CAMINO COLLECTION LTD→ SC872372 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ECOBEAN ARTISAN COFFEE LIMITED→ SC880530 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GARDEN BUILDINGS FIFE LTD→ SC672567 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GM SUPPLIES & DISTRIBUTION LTD→ SC355556 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| HANNAH WHISKY MERCHANT'S LTD→ SC423323 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| HOLD FAST PROMOTIONS LIMITED→ SC855546 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HPP (ROSYTH) LIMITED→ SC666145 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| INCHDAIRNIE AD FEEDSTOCK LTD→ SC544054 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| INDEPENDENT SECURITY SUPPLIES (GLASGOW) LTD→ SC392828 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| IVAN WOOD & SONS LIMITED→ SC190704 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1928-05-01
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46130 — SIC 46130
Registered office
Gray & Pringle Ltd
Station Road
Anstruther
Fife
KY10 3JA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-05
Last: 2026-02-19
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
REEKIE, Robert→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 1994-07-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
REEKIE, Gladys Ann Henderson→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1990-09-11
BARTON, Elizabeth Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 2008-01-30 · resigned 2019-11-29
REEKIE, Alexander Gay→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · appointed 2004-02-07 · resigned 2008-01-30
REEKIE, Gladys Ann Henderson→
Resigneddirector · ~108y · resigned 2004-02-07
REEKIE, Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~120y · resigned 2001-03-15
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | The Fife Council | Standard security | 1 property | 13/02/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-12-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-12-15
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-12-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-12-15
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-11-16