J.L. MCNEIL LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC040675 · ltd · incorporated 1964-07-10
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 58.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. 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 (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 58.4y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 58.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (60/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
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
13 connected companies via shared directors
84
Filing history
100 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.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-07📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2024-02-06📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-02-06📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-02-06📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2024-02-02➕STRACHAN, Lucy Jill appointedsecretary
- 2024-02-02➖STEWART, Charles Roderick resignedsecretary
- 2023-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-04-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-04-19📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-10-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2005-07-18➕MALCOLM, Walter Hattrick appointeddirector
- 2005-07-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2003-05-03➖MALCOLM, Donald John resigneddirector
- 1999-05-01➖BLACK, Ian resignedsecretary
- 1999-05-01➕STEWART, Charles Roderick appointedsecretary
- 1995-03-31➕MALCOLM, Andrew Buchanan appointeddirector
- 1995-03-31➕BLACK, Ian appointedsecretary
- 1995-03-31➖STEVENSON, Hugh resignedsecretary
- 1995-03-31➖STEVENSON, Hugh resigneddirector
- 1993-09-30🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1990-05-08➖WILSON, Martin Boyd resigneddirector
- 1967-12-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation LTD
- 1964-07-10🏢Company incorporatedAs J.L. MCNEIL LIMITED
Owner dependency
91/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 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
76/100
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.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- 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.)
Group structure
W.H. Malcolm Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
W.H. Malcolm Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
J.L. MCNEIL LIMITED
This company · SC040675
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
W.H. Malcolm Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 02/02/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Charles Roderick Stewartceased 02/02/2024· significant influence
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 · PA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. MUNDELL LIMITED→ SC054931 · est 1974 | £1.96M £1.47M–£2.45M | — | — | 54 | 52y | 85 | 64y |
| SONGA CREWMANAGEMENT LIMITED→ SC545847 · est 2016 | £1.15M £864.4k–£1.44M | — | — | 93900 | 9y | 82 | 71y |
| GALLANACH MARINE CONSULTANTS LIMITED→ SC769319 · est 2023 | £72.6k £54.5k–£90.8k | £28.2k | — | 200 | 3y | 84 | 50y |
| A M TRANSPORT (CAMPBELTOWN) LTD.→ SC355750 · est 2009 | — | — | £827.4k | — | 17y | 82 | 68y |
| AAI INTERNATIONAL SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC383141 · est 2010 | — | — | — | 800 | 15y | 82 | 71y |
| BOYDS COACH HIRE LIMITED→ SC150742 · est 1994 | — | — | £476.2k | — | 32y | 82 | 63y |
| BRIAN ADAM`S TRANSPORT LIMITED→ SC307386 · est 2006 | — | — | £685.8k | — | 19y | 82 | 59y |
| BROOKFIELD SECURITIES LIMITED→ SC015861 · est 1930 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 96y | 82 | 66y |
| CRD INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT LTD.→ SC257963 · est 2003 | — | — | £130.6k | — | 22y | 82 | 70y |
| D.W. PARKER LIMITED→ SC241950 · est 2003 | — | — | £433.1k | — | 23y | 82 | 58y |
| FALKIRK CAR CARRIERS LTD.→ SC228015 · est 2002 | — | — | — | 16 | 24y | 82 | 60y |
| FLYING SCOT GLASGOW LIMITED→ SC182653 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | 82 | 68y |
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
Incorporated1964-07-10
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Brookfield House
Burnbrae Drive
Linwood Industrial Estate
Linwood
PA3 3BU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-22
Last: 2026-05-08
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
STRACHAN, Lucy Jill→
Activesecretary · appointed 2024-02-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MALCOLM, Andrew Buchanan→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 1995-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MALCOLM, Walter Hattrick→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2005-07-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BLACK, Ian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-03-31 · resigned 1999-05-01
STEVENSON, Hugh→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1995-03-31
STEWART, Charles Roderick→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-05-01 · resigned 2024-02-02
MALCOLM, Donald John→
Resigneddirector · ~101y · resigned 2003-05-03
STEVENSON, Hugh→
Resigneddirector · ~105y · resigned 1995-03-31
WILSON, Martin Boyd→
Resigneddirector · ~114y · resigned 1990-05-08
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Floating charge | 1 property | 18/07/2005 | — | |
| satisfied | General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation LTD | Trust deed | 1 property | 18/12/1967 | 30/09/1993 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (100 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-10-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-08
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2024-02-07
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-02-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-02-06
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2024-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-10-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-04-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-04-19