ANDREW KNOWLES & SON LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC211487 · ltd · incorporated 2000-09-29
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 25.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
£888
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Painting
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). 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 25.1y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 25.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
77 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 £888
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£888
↑ 200% YoY
Current Assets
£31k
↓ 21% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover 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 | £21.8k | £34.8k |
| Current assets | £31.0k | £39.1k |
| Net assets | £888 | £296 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-02-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-02-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-02-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-21📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-03-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-03-21📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-03-21📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2007-09-12➖MORISONS SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2007-08-12➕KNOWLES, Ruth Margaret appointedsecretary
- 2006-09-01➕KNOWLES, Ruth Margaret appointeddirector
- 2006-09-01➖KNOWLES, Robert Bell resigneddirector
- 2002-07-31➖MORISON BISHOP resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2002-07-31➕MORISONS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2001-03-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2000-09-29🏢Company incorporatedAs ANDREW KNOWLES & SON LIMITED
- 2000-09-29➕KNOWLES, William Stewart appointeddirector
- 2000-09-29➕MORISON BISHOP appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2000-09-29➕KNOWLES, Robert Bell appointeddirector
Owner dependency
99/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "KNOWLES" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
- +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
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr William Stewart Knowles Individual · British · DOB 02/1966 · age 60 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 29/09/2016 |
Mrs Ruth Margaret Knowles Individual · British · DOB 07/1968 · age 58 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 29/09/2016 |
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr William Stewart Knowlesceased 01/10/2017· 25-50% shares
- Mr Robert Bell Knowlesceased 01/10/2017· 25-50% shares
- Mrs Jane Elizabeth Knowlesceased 01/10/2017· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMG MECHANICAL LIMITED→ SC548645 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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| ANCRUM TRADES LTD→ SC245654 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| AND CONNECT ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ SC550640 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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| ANDREW HALL PLASTERERS LTD→ SC459696 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ANGELA THORNTON LIMITED→ SC813686 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AOP ASSOCIATES LTD→ SC615117 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| APEX CONTRACTS LIMITED→ SC585880 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| APEX FIRE & SECURITY LIMITED→ SC350599 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| APEX PROPERTY CARE LIMITED→ SC092112 · est 1985 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2000-09-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC43341 — Painting
Registered office
6b Newhailes Business Park
Newhailes Road
Musselburgh
East Lothian
EH21 6RH
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-04
Last: 2026-03-21
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
KNOWLES, Ruth Margaret→
Activesecretary · appointed 2007-08-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KNOWLES, Ruth Margaret→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2006-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KNOWLES, William Stewart→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2000-09-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MORISON BISHOP→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2000-09-29 · resigned 2002-07-31
MORISONS SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2002-07-31 · resigned 2007-09-12
KNOWLES, Robert Bell→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · appointed 2000-09-29 · resigned 2006-09-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 28/03/2001 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (77 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-02-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-23