MICHAEL JOHNSTONE TRANSPORT LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC245050 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-04
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£938.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
60 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £938,771
Cash YoY
+21%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£787k
↑ 21% YoY
Net Worth
£939k
↑ 45% YoY
Current Assets
£1.9m
↑ 14% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£377k£754k£1.1m£1.5m£1.9mMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£1.19M£1.01M
Current assets£1.89M£1.65M
Cash£787.1k£651.5k
Debtors£1.10M£1.00M
Net assets£938.8k£648.3k

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-07-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-08-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-29
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  4. 2023-08-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-06-27
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  7. 2022-03-24
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  8. 2022-03-24
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  9. 2022-02-08
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  10. 2022-02-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  11. 2022-01-13
    ➕
    JOHNSTONE, William James appointed
    director
  12. 2021-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-08-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-05-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-06-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-06-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2013-03-28
    ➖
    JOHNSTONE, Caroline Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  18. 2003-03-04
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MICHAEL JOHNSTONE TRANSPORT LIMITED
  19. 2003-03-04
    ➕
    JOHNSTONE, Michael appointed
    director
  20. 2003-03-04
    ➕
    JOHNSTONE, Caroline Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  21. 2003-03-04
    ➕
    JOHNSTONE, Michael appointed
    secretary
  22. 2003-03-04
    ➖
    JOHNSTONE, Michael resigned
    secretary
  23. 2003-03-04
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2003-03-04
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +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 "JOHNSTONE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

46/100
Moderate signal

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — JOHNSTONE, William James (same surname) appointed 2022-01-13. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. 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 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Michael Johnstone Transport Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Michael Johnstone Transport Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
MICHAEL JOHNSTONE TRANSPORT LIMITED
This company · SC245050

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Michael Johnstone Transport Holdings Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control13/01/2022
Mr William James Johnstone
Individual · British · DOB 02/1989 · age 37
——sig. influencesignificant influence13/01/2022
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Michael Johnstoneceased 13/01/2022· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control

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
Incorporated2003-03-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

Craigwood
Glencaple
Dumfries
DG1 4QT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-11
Last: 2025-06-27

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

JOHNSTONE, Michael→
director · ~65y · appointed 2003-03-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JOHNSTONE, William James→
director · ~37y · appointed 2022-01-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JOHNSTONE, Caroline Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2003-03-04 · resigned 2013-03-28
Resigned
JOHNSTONE, Michael→
secretary · appointed 2003-03-04 · resigned 2003-03-04
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-04 · resigned 2003-03-04
Resigned

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

Recent filings (60 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2023-11-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2022-03-24
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-03-24
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-02-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-02-08