THE DRIVER THEORY TRAINING CENTRE LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

SC272807 · ltd · incorporated 2004-09-01

Investment thesis

Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.

Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.

Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.

Opportunity decay

approaching window · 12-months

Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.

· Oldest live charge 20.7y old — refinance window within 12 months

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Dec 2024

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

83/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: Driving school activities

Sector: Education

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). 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 20.7y

65/100

clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

· Oldest live charge is 20.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
· Legal-friction score 30/100 — 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

Lenders & charges

1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)

Directors & officers

15 officers (3 active, 15 linked, 10 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

1 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

82 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

83/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

—

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2024-12-31	2023-12-31

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

• 2 officers

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (44 events)Click to expand

2026-01-05
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-16
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-15
➖
NICOLSON, Glen resigned
director
2025-09-10
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-09-10
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-08
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-18
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-11-18
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-08-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-09-02
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2019-08-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-08-24
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2017-06-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2016-06-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2012-09-30
➖
BUDGEN, Billy resigned
director
2009-08-03
➕
NICOLSON, Karine Isabelle Marianne appointed
director
2009-08-03
➕
NICOLSON, Glen appointed
director
2009-04-01
➖
ROBERTSON, Stuart Andrew James resigned
director
2008-10-01
➕
BUDGEN, Billy appointed
director
2008-10-01
➖
KANE, Walter Kerr resigned
director
2007-11-11
➕
JOHNSTONE, Raymond Charles appointed
secretary
2007-11-11
➕
JOHNSTONE, Raymond Charles appointed
director
2007-11-11
➖
KANE, Walter Kerr resigned
secretary
2005-09-06
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
2005-08-12
➖
BUDGEN, John Paul resigned
secretary
2005-08-12
➖
BUDGEN, John Paul resigned
director
2005-08-12
➖
BUDGEN, William George resigned
director
2005-08-11
➕
KANE, Walter Kerr appointed
secretary
2005-08-11
➕
KANE, Walter Kerr appointed
director
2005-08-11
➕
ROBERTSON, Stuart Andrew James appointed
director
2005-08-01
➖
MACLEOD, Catriona Jane resigned
director
2005-01-11
➕
MACLEOD, Catriona Jane appointed
director
2005-01-10
➖
NICOLSON, Cindy-Anna resigned
director
2004-09-01
🏢
Company incorporated
As THE DRIVER THEORY TRAINING CENTRE LIMITED
2004-09-01
➕
BUDGEN, John Paul appointed
secretary
2004-09-01
➕
FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-09-01
➖
FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-09-01
➕
BUDGEN, John Paul appointed
director
2004-09-01
➕
BUDGEN, William George appointed
director
2004-09-01
➕
NICOLSON, Cindy-Anna appointed
director
2004-09-01
➕
FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
2004-09-01
➖
FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

76/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

79/100

Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mrs Karine Isabelle Marianne Nicolson Individual · British · DOB 11/1967 · age 59	—	—	sig. influencesignificant influence	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 · Education & training · PA postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
CAIRNDOW COMMUNITY CHILDCARE LIMITED→ SC276132 · est 2004	—	—	£1.66M	—	21y	83	66y
ST COLUMBA'S DRIMNIN TRUST LIMITED→ SC289026 · est 2005	—	—	£22.9k	—	20y	83	80y
THE ACTUAL REALITY TRUST→ SC211025 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	83	73y
CARLI'S KINDERGARTEN LTD→ SC290076 · est 2005	—	—	£49.5k	—	20y	82	73y
PROFESSIONAL DIVING ACADEMY LIMITED→ SC264798 · est 2004	—	—	£309.0k	—	22y	82	71y
CO-ROINN GHAIDHLIG MHUILE AGUS IDHE (MULL & IONA GAELIC PARTNERSHIP)→ SC280109 · est 2005 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	21y	81	80y
ENGAGE RENFREWSHIRE→ SC120101 · est 1989 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	36y	81	68y
LEISURE EDUCATION→ SC087812 · est 1984	—	—	£0	—	42y	81	87y
PARKLEA ASSOCIATION BRANCHING OUT LTD.→ SC180646 · est 1997 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	28y	81	82y
RENFREWSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST→ SC211348 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	81	80y
RIG ARTS LTD→ SC396962 · est 2011 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	81	81y
THE CLAN MACINTYRE TRUST→ SC346619 · est 2008	—	—	—	500	17y	81	86y

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

Incorporated2004-09-01

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC85530 — Driving school activities

Registered office

64 Balfron Road

Paisley

PA1 3HD

Scotland

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-09-14

Last: 2025-08-31

Officers (3 active · 12 resigned)

JOHNSTONE, Raymond Charles→

secretary · appointed 2007-11-11

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

JOHNSTONE, Raymond Charles→

director · ~64y · appointed 2007-11-11

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

NICOLSON, Karine Isabelle Marianne→

director · ~59y · appointed 2009-08-03

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BUDGEN, John Paul→

secretary · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2005-08-12

Resigned

KANE, Walter Kerr→

secretary · appointed 2005-08-11 · resigned 2007-11-11

Resigned

FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2004-09-01

Resigned

BUDGEN, Billy→

director · ~56y · appointed 2008-10-01 · resigned 2012-09-30

Resigned

BUDGEN, John Paul→

director · ~60y · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2005-08-12

Resigned

BUDGEN, William George→

director · ~56y · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2005-08-12

Resigned

KANE, Walter Kerr→

director · ~79y · appointed 2005-08-11 · resigned 2008-10-01

Resigned

MACLEOD, Catriona Jane→

director · ~50y · appointed 2005-01-11 · resigned 2005-08-01

Resigned

NICOLSON, Cindy-Anna→

director · ~45y · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2005-01-10

Resigned

NICOLSON, Glen→

director · ~56y · appointed 2009-08-03 · resigned 2025-12-15

Resigned

ROBERTSON, Stuart Andrew James→

director · ~52y · appointed 2005-08-11 · resigned 2009-04-01

Resigned

FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2004-09-01

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown

			Type	Properties
	outstanding	HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC	Floating charge	1 property	06/09/2005	—

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (82 total)

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2026-01-05

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2025-12-16

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant

accounts · AA

2025-09-10

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2025-09-01

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2024-09-10

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2024-09-06

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2023-09-08

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2023-09-04

change-to-a-person-with-significant-control

persons-with-significant-control · PSC04

2022-11-18

change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address

address · AD01

2022-11-18

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2022-09-06

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2022-08-04

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2021-12-06

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2021-09-06

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2020-10-01