JOHN MILLER LIMITED

📈Growthactive
SC098434 · ltd · incorporated 1986-04-15
Investment thesis
Growth-phase business — story-led; valuation sensitive to momentum.
Why interesting: Trading is scaling; acquirers paying for trajectory get disproportionate leverage.
Why risky: Price often leads fundamentals; dependency on founder often high.
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
£11.59M
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (78/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

5 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 33.2y

45/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 33.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
  • · Profitable and stable/growing — lender coverage supportable.

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
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (4 active, 10 linked, 7 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
128 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Profitable
Profit before tax £681,409
Turnover YoY
+1%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Turnover£11.59M£11.43M
Gross profit£1.71M£1.35M
Operating profit£821.4k£489.5k
Profit before tax£681.4k£376.0k
Average employees69006000

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

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

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • 1 accounts
  • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (41 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-11-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-11-09
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  6. 2022-11-09
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2022-11-09
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2022-10-13
    MILLER, Ewan Robert appointed
    director
  9. 2022-10-13
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  10. 2022-10-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2022-10-12
    CARSON, David Lewis resigned
    director
  12. 2022-10-05
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  13. 2022-01-10
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  14. 2022-01-10
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  15. 2021-12-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2020-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2020-11-25
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  18. 2020-11-25
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  19. 2020-10-06
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  20. 2020-10-06
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  21. 2020-08-05
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  22. 2016-09-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  23. 2016-06-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  24. 2016-05-10
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  25. 2016-03-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
  26. 2013-09-03
    HUNTER, John Robert Birkley resigned
    director
  27. 2011-11-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
  28. 2010-02-16
    CARTER, Fiona Helena appointed
    secretary
  29. 2010-02-16
    MILLER, Helen Margaret Burnett resigned
    secretary
  30. 2008-03-01
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  31. 2007-10-22
    CARSON, David Lewis appointed
    director
  32. 2004-05-31
    MCNINCH, Gordon Robert resigned
    director
  33. 2002-11-01
    MCNINCH, Gordon Robert appointed
    director
  34. 2001-09-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
  35. 2001-04-06
    HUNTER, John Robert Birkley appointed
    director
  36. 1998-12-21
    MILLER, Helen Margaret Burnett appointed
    director
  37. 1998-12-21
    GORDON, David Taylor resigned
    secretary
  38. 1998-12-21
    MILLER, Helen Margaret Burnett appointed
    secretary
  39. 1998-12-21
    GORDON, David Taylor resigned
    director
  40. 1993-01-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hill Samuel Commercial Finance Limited
  41. 1986-04-15
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As JOHN MILLER LIMITED

Owner dependency

98/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MILLER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

50/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — MILLER, Ewan Robert (same surname) appointed 2022-10-13. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 72 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 40 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Henry James Miller
Individual · British · DOB 10/1954 · age 72
2550%
25–50%board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control06/04/2016
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mrs Helen Margaret Burnett Millerceased 10/01/2022· 25-50% shares
  • Mr Ewan Robert Millerceased 10/01/2022· 25-50% shares

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 →

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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
Incorporated1986-04-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

123 Irish Street
Dumfries
DG1 2PE

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-16
Last: 2025-12-02

Officers (4 active · 6 resigned)

CARTER, Fiona Helena
secretary · appointed 2010-02-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MILLER, Ewan Robert
director · ~33y · appointed 2022-10-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MILLER, Helen Margaret Burnett
director · ~63y · appointed 1998-12-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MILLER, John Henry James
director · ~72y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GORDON, David Taylor
secretary · resigned 1998-12-21
Resigned
MILLER, Helen Margaret Burnett
secretary · appointed 1998-12-21 · resigned 2010-02-16
Resigned
CARSON, David Lewis
director · ~64y · appointed 2007-10-22 · resigned 2022-10-12
Resigned
GORDON, David Taylor
director · ~75y · resigned 1998-12-21
Resigned
HUNTER, John Robert Birkley
director · ~56y · appointed 2001-04-06 · resigned 2013-09-03
Resigned
MCNINCH, Gordon Robert
director · ~71y · appointed 2002-11-01 · resigned 2004-05-31
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

5
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property06/09/2016
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
A registered charge01/03/2016
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property14/11/201128/06/2016
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property01/09/200110/05/2016
satisfied
Hill Samuel Commercial Finance
Hill Samuel Commercial Finance Limited
Floating charge1 property29/01/199301/03/2008
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (128 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-11-09
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-11-09
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-11-09
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-10-13
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-10-13
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2022-10-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-10