HIGHLAND MOTORS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC315025 · ltd · incorporated 2007-01-22
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£75.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 45112SIC 45112
- 45200SIC 45200
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 18.0y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £75,181
Net assets shrinking
Down £3,634 YoY
Cash YoY
-3%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£121k
↓ 3.5% YoY
Net Worth
£75k
↓ 4.6% YoY
Current Assets
£180k
↓ 21% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £92.6k | £138.8k |
| Current assets | £180.2k | £228.6k |
| Cash | £120.7k | £125.0k |
| Debtors | £21.9k | £70.0k |
| Net assets | £75.2k | £78.8k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-28📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-02-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-28📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2022-01-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-01-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-01-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-01-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-12-17➕MACKENZIE, John appointedsecretary
- 2021-12-17➖SMITH, Stephen Mark resignedsecretary
- 2021-12-17➖SMITH, Stephen Mark resigneddirector
- 2021-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-06-18📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2018-04-05➖MUTCH, Iain Mackenzie resigneddirector
- 2015-11-30🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2008-04-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2007-01-22🏢Company incorporatedAs HIGHLAND MOTORS LIMITED
- 2007-01-22➕MACKENZIE, John appointeddirector
- 2007-01-22➕SMITH, Stephen Mark appointedsecretary
- 2007-01-22➕MUTCH, Iain Mackenzie appointeddirector
- 2007-01-22➕SMITH, Stephen Mark appointeddirector
Owner dependency
85/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Peggy Agnes Mackenzie Individual · British · DOB 10/1972 · age 54 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 23/02/2023 |
Mr John Mackenzie Individual · British · DOB 01/1972 · age 54 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Stephen Mark Smithceased 17/12/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Iain Mackenzie Mutchceased 05/04/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · Automotive · IV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MACNIVEN AUTO REPAIRS LTD→ SC827729 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| MARTINS AUTOS LTD→ SC651505 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| MITCHELLS MOTORCYCLES LTD.→ SC312712 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| MONSTER GIVEAWAYS LTD→ SC689944 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| MORAY FIRTH MOTORS LTD.→ SC243924 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| MOTOVISION LTD→ SC604260 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| MT AUTOS LOSSIE LTD→ SC487475 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| MYDAN HOLDINGS LTD→ SC817186 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| P&G BODYSHOP LTD→ SC862582 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PAUL WILLIAMSON CARS LIMITED→ SC465515 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| R & E HOGG LTD.→ SC352552 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| RAVENHILL LIMITED→ SC090191 · est 1984 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 41y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2007-01-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45111 — Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles
Registered office
Borve
Isle Of Skye
IV51 9PE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-05
Last: 2026-01-22
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
Active
MACKENZIE, John→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2007-01-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Stephen Mark→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-01-22 · resigned 2021-12-17
MUTCH, Iain Mackenzie→
Resigneddirector · ~50y · appointed 2007-01-22 · resigned 2018-04-05
SMITH, Stephen Mark→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 2007-01-22 · resigned 2021-12-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 30/11/2015 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 16/04/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (61 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-02-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-02-28
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-02-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-27
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2022-01-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-01-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-01-28