KEN HOPE (KELSO) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC277224 · ltd · incorporated 2004-12-08
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 21.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2025
Net worth
£877.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does

Based in Kelso, Scotland, this active small business most likely operates as a local car dealership, buying and selling both new and used cars and light motor vehicles on a day-to-day retail and wholesale basis, serving customers in the Scottish Borders region.

Primary activity: Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 45112SIC 45112
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 82-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 82). 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 21.0y

65/100
clean up first

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.0 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, 2 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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
57 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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £877,048
Cash YoY
-10%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£374k
↓ 10% YoY
Net Worth
£877k
↑ 11% YoY
Current Assets
£973k
↑ 5.9% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£195k£389k£584k£779k£973kDec 2024Dec 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-12-312024-12-31
Total assets£891.6k£805.2k
Current assets£973.2k£919.3k
Cash£373.5k£416.7k
Debtors£83.4k£98.6k
Net assets£877.0k£791.7k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-05-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-04-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-11-15
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2021-11-15
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  8. 2021-10-27
    ➖
    HOPE, Michael resigned
    director
  9. 2021-06-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-06-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-04-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-08-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-09-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-12-23
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2015-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2005-05-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  18. 2004-12-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As KEN HOPE (KELSO) LIMITED
  19. 2004-12-08
    ➕
    HOPE, Brenda Muir appointed
    secretary
  20. 2004-12-08
    ➕
    HOPE, Brenda Muir appointed
    director
  21. 2004-12-08
    ➕
    HOPE, Kenneth James appointed
    director
  22. 2004-12-08
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  23. 2004-12-08
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2004-12-08
    ➕
    HOPE, Michael appointed
    director

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 "HOPE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Kenneth James Hope
Individual · British · DOB 12/1944 · age 82
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mrs Brenda Muir Hope
Individual · British · DOB 03/1948 · age 78
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Michael Hopeceased 27/10/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Automotive · TD postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
MAXWELL MOTORS LIMITED→
SC257385 · est 2003
——£3.15M—22y8389y
BORDER TYRES LIMITED→
04744576 · est 2003
——£801.8k—23y8263y
CARPARTS 4U LIMITED→
SC135254 · est 1991
——£557.7k—34y8264y
CLARKSON MOTORS LIMITED→
SC237353 · est 2002
——£94.9k—23y8268y
ETTRICKSIDE GARAGE (SELKIRK) LTD.→
SC302307 · est 2006
———920y8270y
MILL GARAGE (DUNS) LIMITED→
SC311047 · est 2006
——£136.0k—19y8260y
B.H.P. (NORHAM) LIMITED→
04459674 · est 2002
——£21.6k—23y8170y
A.W.M.D. LIMITED→
SC265148 · est 2004
——£3.5k—22y8067y
BORDER AUTOCARE & TYRE SERVICES LIMITED→
SC217592 · est 2001
———20025y8066y
CESSFORD MOTORS LIMITED→
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——£737.8k—22y8060y
J. AITCHISON (DUNS) LIMITED→
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———1864y8081y
LAMBERTON MOTORS LTD→
16658667 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
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
Incorporated2004-12-08
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45111 — Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles

Registered office

Academy House
Shedden Park Road
Kelso
TD5 7AL

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-22
Last: 2025-12-08

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

HOPE, Brenda Muir→
secretary · appointed 2004-12-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOPE, Brenda Muir→
director · ~78y · appointed 2004-12-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOPE, Kenneth James→
director · ~82y · appointed 2004-12-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-12-08 · resigned 2004-12-08
Resigned
HOPE, Michael→
director · ~56y · appointed 2004-12-08 · resigned 2021-10-27
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property13/05/2005—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (57 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-11-15
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-18