STRATHFORD (AYRSHIRE) LIMITED
- · Oldest live charge 29.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
Opportunity 60/100 (worth a look), bankability 70/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 29.1y
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 29.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 30/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (61/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Recent activity
- • 1 gazette
- • 2 gazette
- • 2 capital
- • 1 dissolution
Corporate timeline (57 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-24📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2026-02-24🏁Company dissolved
- 2025-12-09📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2025-11-27📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2025-11-07📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2025-11-07📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2025-11-07⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2025-11-07📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-07-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-06📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2021-12-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-12-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-12-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-12-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-12-06📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-12-01➕CLARK, John Arnold appointeddirector
- 2021-12-01➕GRAHAM, James Turner appointeddirector
- 2021-12-01➖MCLEAN, Kenneth John resigneddirector
- 2021-12-01➖WILLIES, Scott resigneddirector
- 2021-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-06-07➖HARVEY, Mark William Harold resigneddirector
- 2020-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-24➕HARVEY, Mark William Harold appointeddirector
- 2017-04-10➖CLARK, John Arnold resigneddirector
- 2013-11-19➕THORPE, Stuart Kenneth appointedsecretary
- 2013-11-19➖MCLEAN, Kenneth John resignedsecretary
- 2011-05-27➖KERR, Dugald Ferguson resignedsecretary
- 2011-05-27➕MCLEAN, Kenneth John appointedsecretary
- 2011-05-27➖KERR, Dugald Ferguson resigneddirector
- 2011-05-27➕WILLIES, Scott appointeddirector
- 2006-02-27➕MCLEAN, Kenneth John appointeddirector
- 2000-10-31➕HAWTHORNE, Edward appointeddirector
- 2000-10-31➕KERR, Dugald Ferguson appointedsecretary
- 2000-10-31➖MCLEISH, William David resignedsecretary
- 2000-10-31➕CLARK, John Arnold appointeddirector
- 2000-10-31➖INGLIS, Elizabeth Fenton resigneddirector
- 2000-10-31➖INGLIS, Thomas Johnston resigneddirector
- 2000-10-31➕KERR, Dugald Ferguson appointeddirector
- 2000-10-31➖MCLEISH, William David resigneddirector
- 2000-10-31➖WILLS, William resigneddirector
- 1997-10-03🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Ford Credit Europe PLC
- 1997-10-03🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Ford Credit Europe PLC
- 1997-03-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1996-11-29🏢Company incorporatedAs STRATHFORD (AYRSHIRE) LIMITED
- 1996-11-29➕MCLEISH, William David appointedsecretary
- 1996-11-29➕REID, Brian appointednominee-secretary
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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
2 high ·Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2026-02-24
Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2025-11-07: legacy
Group structure
Arnold Clark Automobiles Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Arnold Clark Automobiles Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/12/2021 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Lady Philomena Butler Clarkceased 01/12/2021· significant influence
- Sir John Arnold Clarkceased 10/04/2017· significant influence
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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9 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 (0 active · 14 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Ford Credit Europe Ford Credit Europe PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 03/10/1997 | — | |
| outstanding | Ford Credit Europe Ford Credit Europe PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 03/10/1997 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 28/03/1997 | — |