BDC FUELS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC229389 · ltd · incorporated 2002-03-20
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 23.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 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
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 23.9y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.9 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 (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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
68 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 2100 | 2100 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-28📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2017-06-23🔒Charge registered #4Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2016-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-03-18📄mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-numbermortgage · 466(Scot)
- 2015-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2010-10-05🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Conocophilips Limited
- 2002-07-16🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2002-05-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2002-03-20🏢Company incorporatedAs BDC FUELS LIMITED
- 2002-03-20➕CONNOLLY, Dianne appointedsecretary
- 2002-03-20➕CONNOLLY, Brian Thomas appointeddirector
- 2002-03-20➕CONNOLLY, Dianne appointeddirector
- 2002-03-20➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-03-20➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-03-20➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-03-20➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
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 67. 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 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Dianne Connolly Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Retail · KA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AYE MINI MARKET LIMITED→ SC864423 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AYR STATION STORE LTD→ SC833731 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE GARAGE DOORS LIMITED→ SC298248 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE GIFTS LTD→ SC808340 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE HEALTHCARE LIMITED→ SC558487 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE SYSTEMS LTD→ SC525635 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| BALMORAL MILL SHOP LIMITED→ SC116183 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| BASMARA TRADERS LTD→ SC813416 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BASSAM ENTERPRISE LTD→ SC843688 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BEARING GIFTS TROON LIMITED→ SC755156 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BEAU BEAU AYRSHIRE LIMITED→ SC865189 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BELLEHAM LIMITED→ SC616146 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2002-03-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47300 — Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores
Registered office
84 High Street
Maybole
South Ayrshire
KA19 7AH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-13
Last: 2026-01-30
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
Active
CONNOLLY, Brian Thomas→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2002-03-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CONNOLLY, Dianne→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2002-03-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-03-20 · resigned 2002-03-20
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-03-20 · resigned 2002-03-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 23/06/2017 | — | |
| outstanding | Conocophilips Conocophilips Limited | Standard security | 1 property | 05/10/2010 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 16/07/2002 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 21/05/2002 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (68 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-29