JAMES KINGAN AND SONS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC024140 · ltd · incorporated 1946-05-14
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£3.88M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Sawmilling and planing of wood
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -57% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 27.8y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 27.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
117 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 £3,875,137
Cash draining
Cash down 57% YoY
Cash YoY
-57%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£820k
↓ 57% YoY
Net Worth
£3.9m
~ YoY
Current Assets
£1.9m
↓ 34% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £4.06M | £4.02M |
| Current assets | £1.91M | £2.91M |
| Cash | £820.2k | £1.90M |
| Debtors | £715.9k | £735.8k |
| Net assets | £3.88M | £3.85M |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-27📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-13📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-03-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-20📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-05-01➕KINGAN, Fraser Keith appointeddirector
- 2020-08-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-27➖KINGAN, Ian Jardine resigneddirector
- 2017-11-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2011-03-16🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2004-08-23➕KINGAN, Helen appointedsecretary
- 2004-08-23➖JARDINE, Brian resignedsecretary
- 2004-08-02➖KINGAN, Robert Russell resigneddirector
- 1999-06-17➖KINGAN, James resigneddirector
- 1998-07-23🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1993-07-01➕JARDINE, Brian appointedsecretary
- 1993-07-01➖MCGHIE, Allen Johnstone resignedsecretary
- 1993-02-01➕KINGAN, David Steel appointeddirector
- 1993-02-01➕KINGAN, Robert Russell appointeddirector
- 1990-10-21➖KINGAN SENIOR, James resigneddirector
- 1946-05-14🏢Company incorporatedAs JAMES KINGAN AND SONS 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
- +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 "KINGAN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
46/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — KINGAN, Fraser Keith (same surname) appointed 2021-05-01. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 33 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 80 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 David Steel Kingan Individual · British · DOB 06/1960 · age 66 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Fraser Keith Kinganceased 14/11/2023· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting
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 · Manufacturing · DG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREEN BRIDGE FUEL UK LTD→ SC772553 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| HIDDLESTON JOINERS LIMITED→ SC218511 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| HIGHLAND SHEDS LTD→ SC835556 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| J&B PRINT LTD→ SC356855 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| J&R MANUFACTURING LTD→ SC806996 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| JAMES GORDON LIMITED→ SC293893 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| JAMES SMITH FENCING LIMITED→ SC486484 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| JOE BUCKLES LIMITED→ SC480434 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| KERR TIMBER PRODUCTS LIMITED→ SC055579 · est 1974 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS BY C AND C JOINERY LTD→ SC660275 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| LAYDEN MEMORIALS LIMITED→ SC758904 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LEIGH JAMES DESIGN LTD→ SC842810 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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.
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
Incorporated1946-05-14
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC16100 — Sawmilling and planing of wood
Registered office
Townhead Sawmill
New Abbey
Dumfries
DG2 8DU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-10
Last: 2025-08-27
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
Active
KINGAN, David Steel→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 1993-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KINGAN, Fraser Keith→
Activedirector · ~30y · appointed 2021-05-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JARDINE, Brian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1993-07-01 · resigned 2004-08-23
MCGHIE, Allen Johnstone→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1993-07-01
KINGAN, Ian Jardine→
Resigneddirector · ~100y · resigned 2017-11-27
KINGAN, James→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · resigned 1999-06-17
KINGAN, Robert Russell→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 1993-02-01 · resigned 2004-08-02
KINGAN SENIOR, James→
Resigneddirector · resigned 1990-10-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 16/03/2011 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Floating charge | 1 property | 23/07/1998 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (117 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-08-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-13
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-03-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-03-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-08-24
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-07-20