ESSPORT AUTOPARTS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC526104 · ltd · incorporated 2016-02-05
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 10.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 10.0y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
26 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
75
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 | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 16 | 1100 |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-03-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-03-15📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-03-15📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2017-11-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-28📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-04-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2016-02-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-02-05🏢Company incorporatedAs ESSPORT AUTOPARTS LIMITED
- 2016-02-05➕BEST, Martin Keith appointeddirector
- 2016-02-05➕SMILLIE, Ian David appointeddirector
Owner dependency
71/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial 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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 10 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
61/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
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.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ian David Smillie Individual · British · DOB 02/1962 · age 64 | — | 25–50% | 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Martin Keith Best Individual · British · DOB 12/1962 · age 64 | — | 25–50% | 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Pamela Ann Young Smillieceased 18/02/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mrs Carol Bestceased 18/02/2018· 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 · KY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ET AUTOMOTIVE LTD→ SC876376 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FIFE POWDERCOATINGS LIMITED→ SC546544 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| FIFE SEAT LIMITED→ SC331707 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| FIX AUTO GARAGE LTD→ SC865500 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FLEAR & THOMSON (PERTH) LIMITED→ SC655765 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| FLEAR & THOMSON (STIRLING) LIMITED→ SC575657 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| FLEAR & THOMSON LIMITED→ SC028660 · est 1951 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 74y | — | — |
| FRANK MUNRO & SONS LIMITED→ SC241429 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| G DYCE AUTOS LTD→ SC879993 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GGS FIFE LTD→ SC748889 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GLENEAGLE MOTORS LIMITED→ SC260517 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| GLENFIELD AUTOCENTRE LTD→ SC525970 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2016-02-05
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC45320 — Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories
Registered office
Essport Car Accessories Miller Road
Baldridgeburn
Dunfermline
KY12 9DL
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-23
Last: 2026-02-09
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
BEST, Martin Keith→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2016-02-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMILLIE, Ian David→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2016-02-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 20/04/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (26 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-02-12