NAPIER & CRAIG LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
Based in Paisley, Scotland, this long-established wholesale business likely sources and distributes a broad range of goods to retailers or other businesses, with the Napier & Craig name suggesting a traditional trading partnership engaged in general non-specialised wholesale activity across multiple product categories.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 87). 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 (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 48.7y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 48.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £102.2k | £106.0k |
| Current assets | £200.8k | £213.0k |
| Cash | £27.3k | £33.2k |
| Debtors | £4.0k | £5.7k |
| Net assets | £96.8k | £95.5k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-12-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-12-19📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2023-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 1999-01-01➕DUNLOP, Rosslyn Lindsay appointeddirector
- 1996-11-26➕DUNLOP, Rosslyn Lindsay appointedsecretary
- 1996-11-26➖MELLON, Margaret resignedsecretary
- 1996-11-26➖MELLON, Margaret resigneddirector
- 1994-12-28➖PAUL, Mellon resigneddirector
- 1993-04-21➕RENFREW, Robert Lawrie appointeddirector
- 1992-10-05➖MELLON, Ralph J resigneddirector
- 1992-10-05➕PAUL, Mellon appointeddirector
- 1977-08-31🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1947-11-19🏢Company incorporatedAs NAPIER & CRAIG LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 87 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 87 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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 79 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Rosslyn Lindsay Dunlop Individual · British · DOB 01/1970 · age 56 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Robert Lawrie Renfrew Individual · British · DOB 11/1939 · age 87 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · PA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPRINGBANK DISTILLERS LIMITED→ SC041205 · est 1964 | £5.47M £4.10M–£6.83M | — | — | 24 | 61y | 83 | 90y |
| WILLIAM CADENHEAD LIMITED→ SC052072 · est 1972 | — | — | — | 11 | 53y | 83 | 90y |
| BATHROOM ELEGANCE LIMITED→ SC137829 · est 1992 | — | — | £1.73M | — | 34y | 82 | 63y |
| CMC (SHIP CHANDLERS) LIMITED→ SC110574 · est 1988 | — | — | — | 200 | 38y | 82 | 59y |
| CUMBRAE SUPPLY COMPANY LIMITED→ SC298312 · est 2006 | — | — | £136.4k | — | 20y | 82 | 74y |
| D MCNAIR & SON LTD.→ SC394139 · est 2011 | — | — | £3.04M | — | 15y | 82 | 61y |
| JOHN SCOTT MEAT (PAISLEY) LIMITED→ SC100408 · est 1986 | — | — | £3.21M | — | 39y | 82 | 65y |
| LAWRIE (FURNISHINGS) LIMITED→ SC285388 · est 2005 | — | — | £491.0k | — | 20y | 82 | 62y |
| SCOTJET LIMITED→ SC190195 · est 1998 | — | — | £1.35M | — | 27y | 82 | 70y |
| SEALING SYSTEMS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→ SC385524 · est 2010 | — | — | £175.4k | — | 15y | 82 | 63y |
| SPIRIT EMPIRE UK LIMITED→ SC767652 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| TEMPRITE (EUROPE) LIMITED→ SC175754 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
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 (3 active · 4 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 31/08/1977 | — |