COURTAULDS LS
🌳Matureactive
SC003388 · private-unlimited · incorporated 1897-01-06
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.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 7499
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 45/100. Strong seller-intent signal (75/100, director aged 72). Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (50/100).
Data confidence
Overall: low (45/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
36 officers (3 active, 36 linked, 25 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
2 filings — limited history
30
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
50
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 gazette
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 gazette
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (67 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-07📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2024-08-30📄court-ordermiscellaneous · OC-DV
- 2006-08-18➕RUSS, Neil Andrew appointedsecretary
- 2006-08-18➖WILSON, Julia Ruth resignedsecretary
- 2006-06-07➕WILSON, Julia Ruth appointedsecretary
- 2006-06-06➖JAGUN, Ayotola resignedsecretary
- 2006-06-06➖HANDLEY, Helen Kay resigneddirector
- 2006-06-06➖JAGUN, Ayotola resigneddirector
- 2006-03-08➖WILSON, Julia Ruth resigneddirector
- 2005-12-09➕HANDLEY, Helen Kay appointeddirector
- 2005-12-08➕JAGUN, Ayotola appointeddirector
- 2005-12-08➖WELLS, Christian Henry resigneddirector
- 2004-04-30➕WILSON, Julia Ruth appointeddirector
- 2003-11-10➕LLEWELLYN, Steve Michael appointeddirector
- 2003-11-10➖POLEG, Eliaz resigneddirector
- 2003-09-26➕JAGUN, Ayotola appointedsecretary
- 2003-09-26➖RUBENSTEIN, Howard Justin resignedsecretary
- 2003-09-26➖RUBENSTEIN, Howard Justin resigneddirector
- 2003-09-26➕WELLS, Christian Henry appointeddirector
- 2002-07-12➕POLEG, Eliaz appointeddirector
- 2002-06-30➖DUFFY, Hugh Brian resigneddirector
- 2002-06-14➖WILSON, Julia Ruth resigneddirector
- 2002-06-12➕ELLIS, Michael appointeddirector
- 2000-12-01➕WILSON, Julia Ruth appointeddirector
- 2000-10-30➕DUFFY, Hugh Brian appointeddirector
- 2000-10-30➖THOMPSON, Richard James resigneddirector
- 2000-10-26➖CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy resignedsecretary
- 2000-10-26➖CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy resigneddirector
- 2000-10-25➕RUBENSTEIN, Howard Justin appointedsecretary
- 2000-10-25➕RUBENSTEIN, Howard Justin appointeddirector
- 2000-04-17➕CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy appointedsecretary
- 2000-04-17➖CLARKE, Melanie Anne resignedsecretary
- 2000-04-17➕CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy appointeddirector
- 2000-04-17➖CLARKE, Melanie Anne resigneddirector
- 2000-02-23➕CLARKE, Melanie Anne appointedsecretary
- 2000-02-23➖KELLY, Susan Kathleen resignedsecretary
- 2000-02-23➕CLARKE, Melanie Anne appointeddirector
- 2000-02-23➖KELLY, Susan Kathleen resigneddirector
- 1999-05-28➖JENKINS, Stephen Adrian resigneddirector
- 1999-05-28➕THOMPSON, Richard James appointeddirector
- 1998-11-24➖CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy resignedsecretary
- 1998-11-24➕KELLY, Susan Kathleen appointedsecretary
- 1998-11-24➖CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy resigneddirector
- 1998-11-24➕KELLY, Susan Kathleen appointeddirector
- 1998-10-23➖BRIDDOCK, Karen Louise resignedsecretary
- 1998-10-23➕CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy appointedsecretary
- 1998-10-23➖BRIDDOCK, Karen Louise resigneddirector
- 1998-10-23➕CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy appointeddirector
- 1997-05-14➖EDIS-BATES, Jonathan Geoffrey resigneddirector
- 1996-10-01➕JENKINS, Stephen Adrian appointeddirector
Showing most recent 50 of 67 events
Owner dependency
83/100
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 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 72 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 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 129 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 med ·Has insolvency history
mediumCompanies House flags prior insolvency events. Review the insolvency filings for context.
🔒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 · Professional services · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES EDINBURGH LIMITED→ SC091725 · est 1985 | £131.60M £96.97M–£166.24M | £135.39M | — | 135900 | 41y | 85 | 67y |
| ROBERTSON EDUCATION (ABERDEENSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC209010 · est 2000 | £5.47M £4.03M–£6.91M | — | — | 0 | 25y | 85 | 60y |
| DSF (2003) LIMITED→ SC144009 · est 1993 | £4.70M £3.46M–£5.93M | — | — | 7 | 33y | 87 | 61y |
| FCC (EAST AYRSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC300470 · est 2006 | £3.99M £2.94M–£5.03M | — | — | 0 | 20y | 87 | 60y |
| BLYTH & BLYTH CONSULTING ENGINEERS LIMITED→ SC241155 · est 2002 | £2.78M £2.05M–£3.52M | — | — | 93 | 23y | 87 | 85y |
| SIBCAS LIMITED→ SC052604 · est 1973 | £1.88M £1.39M–£2.38M | — | — | 165 | 53y | 88 | 68y |
| HORIZON (GP) LIMITED→ SC493523 · est 2014 | £45.2k £33.3k–£57.1k | — | — | 6 | 11y | 95 | 66y |
| BURNDENE INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ SC015613 · est 1929 | £14.3k £10.5k–£18.0k | — | — | 0 | 96y | 83 | 63y |
| 3 ED HOLDINGS 2 LIMITED→ SC328040 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | 83 | 65y |
| ABACUS FINANCIAL MARKETING LIMITED→ SC197503 · est 1999 | — | — | £3.4k | — | 26y | 83 | 59y |
| ACCOUNTING & TAXATION SERVICE LTD→ SC360357 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | 83 | 58y |
| BRINDLEY ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ SC290803 · est 2005 | — | — | — | 1300 | 20y | 83 | 59y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Typeprivate-unlimited
Incorporated1897-01-06
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC7499 — SIC 7499
Registered office
Kpmg Llp
20 Castle Terrace
Edinburgh
EH1 2EG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2005-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (3 active · 33 resigned)
Active
ELLIS, Michael→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2002-06-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LLEWELLYN, Steve Michael→
Activedirector · ~72y · appointed 2003-11-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRIDDOCK, Karen Louise→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-04-25 · resigned 1998-10-23
CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-04-17 · resigned 2000-10-26
CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-10-23 · resigned 1998-11-24
CLARKE, Melanie Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-02-23 · resigned 2000-04-17
HARTELL, Anthony→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1991-09-12 · resigned 1995-04-24
JAGUN, Ayotola→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-09-26 · resigned 2006-06-06
KELLY, Susan Kathleen→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1998-11-24 · resigned 2000-02-23
RUBENSTEIN, Howard Justin→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-10-25 · resigned 2003-09-26
SELLAR, Thomas John→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1991-09-01
WILSON, Julia Ruth→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-06-07 · resigned 2006-08-18
BRIDDOCK, Karen Louise→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 1993-01-01 · resigned 1998-10-23
BYRAN, Robert Kenneth→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 1991-09-01 · resigned 1992-12-31
CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 2000-04-17 · resigned 2000-10-26
CATTERMOLE, Carolyn Tracy→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 1998-10-23 · resigned 1998-11-24
CLARKE, Melanie Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 2000-02-23 · resigned 2000-04-17
CLIFFORD, Jacqueline Margaret Claire→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 1995-04-25 · resigned 1996-07-31
CONNOR, James→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · resigned 1991-10-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (2 total)
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2026-04-07
court-order
miscellaneous · OC-DV
2024-08-30