A. W. AUTOTECH LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC172396 · ltd · incorporated 1997-02-17
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
£527.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45200
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 20.6y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 1 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
73 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 £527,657
Net assets shrinking
Down £65,359 YoY
Cash YoY
-20%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£191k
↓ 20% YoY
Net Worth
£528k
↓ 11% YoY
Current Assets
£254k
↓ 13% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £535.2k | £602.0k |
| Current assets | £254.3k | £292.9k |
| Cash | £191.0k | £239.0k |
| Debtors | £63.0k | £53.5k |
| Net assets | £527.7k | £593.0k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-14📄change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH04
- 2020-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-23📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-18📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2005-09-30🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2005-09-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1997-02-18➕WALLACE, Alan Duncan appointeddirector
- 1997-02-18➖BONSQUARE NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 1997-02-17🏢Company incorporatedAs A. W. AUTOTECH LIMITED
- 1997-02-17➕JAMES AND GEORGE COLLIE LLP appointedcorporate-secretary
- 1997-02-17➕BONSQUARE NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
93/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 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
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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alan Duncan Wallace Individual · British · DOB 07/1967 · age 59 | 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.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANGLO SCOTTISH (MANAGEMENT SERVICES) LIMITED→ SC119976 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| AUTO CENTRE INVERURIE LIMITED→ SC277807 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AUTO LOUNGE MOT & SERVICE CENTRE LIMITED→ SC865778 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AUTOFIX SERVICES LTD.→ SC222437 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AUTOMASTERS INVERURIE LTD→ SC570730 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AUTOVATION LTD→ SC734034 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| B-A AUCTION MARTS LTD.→ SC858733 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BADENTOY GARAGE LIMITED→ SC768566 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BIC MOBILE CAR WASH LTD→ SC836611 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BLACKBURN GARAGE LIMITED→ SC455822 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BLACKHILLS TYRES LIMITED→ SC498288 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| BOLA WHEELS UK LTD→ SC834343 · 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
Incorporated1997-02-17
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45200 — SIC 45200
Registered office
1 East Craibstone Street
Aberdeen
AB11 6YQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-03
Last: 2026-02-17
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
JAMES AND GEORGE COLLIE LLP→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 1997-02-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WALLACE, Alan Duncan→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 1997-02-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BONSQUARE NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 1997-02-17 · resigned 1997-02-18
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 | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 30/09/2005 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 14/09/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (73 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-26
change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH04
2021-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-20