1ST CHOICE SCAFFOLDING OXFORD LTD
🌳Matureactive
05423745 · ltd · incorporated 2005-04-13
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
£210.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Scaffold erection
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -30% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
64 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
82
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £210,092
Net assets shrinking
Down £116,529 YoY
Cash YoY
-30%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£168k
↓ 30% YoY
Net Worth
£210k
↓ 36% YoY
Current Assets
£216k
↓ 39% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £212.6k | £339.1k |
| Current assets | £216.1k | £354.7k |
| Cash | £168.0k | £240.3k |
| Debtors | £36.1k | £102.4k |
| Net assets | £210.1k | £326.6k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-08-12📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-07-15📍default-companies-house-service-address-applied-officeraddress · RP09
- 2025-07-15📍default-companies-house-service-address-applied-officeraddress · RP09
- 2025-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-31📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-05-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-04-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-04-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-04-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-05-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-04-13📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-04-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-01➕MURPHY, Sharon Mary appointeddirector
- 2016-10-30➖POORE, Richard David resigneddirector
- 2005-05-17➕MURPHY, Mark Nicholas appointedsecretary
- 2005-05-17➕MURPHY, Mark Nicholas appointeddirector
- 2005-05-17➖@UKPLC CLIENT SECRETARY LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-05-17➕POORE, Richard David appointeddirector
- 2005-05-17➖@UKPLC CLIENT DIRECTOR LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2005-04-13🏢Company incorporatedAs 1ST CHOICE SCAFFOLDING OXFORD LTD
- 2005-04-13➕@UKPLC CLIENT SECRETARY LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-04-13➕@UKPLC CLIENT DIRECTOR LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
84/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- 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
1 lowMultiple registered office changes
lowMultiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Sharon Mary Murphy Individual · British · DOB 12/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/04/2019 |
Mr Mark Nicholas Murphy Individual · British · DOB 11/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 MADE OF GOOD LTD→ 14827024 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 108 CUMNOR HILL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED→ 11081958 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| 1983 CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 16084945 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 1ST FIX CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 15009521 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 247 LOCAL PLUMBER AND DRAINAGE LIMITED→ 14837169 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 247 PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE LTD→ 16796514 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2D OR NOT 2D MODULAR HOMES LTD→ 15511489 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 2T CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 15762294 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 31GOLFGREENS LTD→ 16411162 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 376 DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→ 10118367 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 376 ESTATES (CHEDDAR) LTD→ 16849872 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 376 ESTATES LIMITED→ 10519024 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2005-04-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43991 — Scaffold erection
Registered office
Unit 7 Old London Road
Wheatley
Oxford
OX33 1XW
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-27
Last: 2026-04-13
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
MURPHY, Mark Nicholas→
Activesecretary · appointed 2005-05-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MURPHY, Mark Nicholas→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2005-05-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MURPHY, Sharon Mary→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2019-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
@UKPLC CLIENT SECRETARY LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-04-13 · resigned 2005-05-17
POORE, Richard David→
Resigneddirector · ~60y · appointed 2005-05-17 · resigned 2016-10-30
@UKPLC CLIENT DIRECTOR LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-04-13 · resigned 2005-05-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (64 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-08-12
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2025-08-12
default-companies-house-service-address-applied-officer
address · RP09
2025-07-15
default-companies-house-service-address-applied-officer
address · RP09
2025-07-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-05-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-04-13