MACFARLANE, LANG & COMPANY, LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC005676 · ltd · incorporated 1904-07-28
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 57.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Dormant / non-trading with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (75/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 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

2 live charges · oldest 57.7y

65/100
clean up first

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 57.7 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 (61/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
11 officers (3 active, 11 linked, 7 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
18 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
98 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.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-07-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-09-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-09-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-10-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-09-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-09-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-09-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-06-21
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-10-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-06-08
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-10-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  15. 2014-06-10
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2013-08-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  17. 2012-04-17
    ➕
    MCCARTHY, Helen Josephine appointed
    director
  18. 2012-04-17
    ➖
    FURST, Susan resigned
    director
  19. 2001-03-30
    ➕
    OLDHAM, Mark appointed
    secretary
  20. 2001-03-30
    ➕
    OLDHAM, Mark appointed
    director
  21. 2001-03-30
    ➖
    WILKINSON, Michael David resigned
    secretary
  22. 2001-03-30
    ➖
    WILKINSON, Michael David resigned
    director
  23. 2000-10-31
    ➖
    CLARK, Alastair George resigned
    director
  24. 2000-10-31
    ➕
    FURST, Susan appointed
    director
  25. 1999-11-26
    ➖
    FREW, Alan Dalziel resigned
    secretary
  26. 1999-11-26
    ➕
    WILKINSON, Michael David appointed
    secretary
  27. 1999-11-26
    ➖
    FREW, Alan Dalziel resigned
    director
  28. 1999-11-26
    ➕
    WILKINSON, Michael David appointed
    director
  29. 1994-01-01
    ➕
    FREW, Alan Dalziel appointed
    secretary
  30. 1994-01-01
    ➕
    FREW, Alan Dalziel appointed
    director
  31. 1993-12-31
    ➖
    STEWART, Derek Robert James resigned
    secretary
  32. 1993-12-31
    ➖
    STEWART, Derek Robert James resigned
    director
  33. 1968-11-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Commercial Union Assurance Company LTD
  34. 1968-07-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Commercial Union Assurance Company LTD
  35. 1904-07-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MACFARLANE, LANG & COMPANY, LIMITED

Owner dependency

83/100
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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 122 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.)

Group structure

United Biscuits (Holdings) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
United Biscuits (Holdings) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
MACFARLANE, LANG & COMPANY, LIMITED
This company · SC005676

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
United Biscuits (Holdings) Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1904-07-28
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

50 Lothian Road
Festival Square
Edinburgh
EH3 9BY

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-07
Last: 2025-05-24

Officers (3 active · 8 resigned)

OLDHAM, Mark→
secretary · appointed 2001-03-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCCARTHY, Helen Josephine→
director · ~60y · appointed 2012-04-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OLDHAM, Mark→
director · ~67y · appointed 2001-03-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FREW, Alan Dalziel→
secretary · appointed 1994-01-01 · resigned 1999-11-26
Resigned
STEWART, Derek Robert James→
secretary · resigned 1993-12-31
Resigned
WILKINSON, Michael David→
secretary · appointed 1999-11-26 · resigned 2001-03-30
Resigned
CLARK, Alastair George→
director · ~85y · resigned 2000-10-31
Resigned
FREW, Alan Dalziel→
director · ~78y · appointed 1994-01-01 · resigned 1999-11-26
Resigned
FURST, Susan→
director · ~74y · appointed 2000-10-31 · resigned 2012-04-17
Resigned
STEWART, Derek Robert James→
director · ~91y · resigned 1993-12-31
Resigned
WILKINSON, Michael David→
director · ~77y · appointed 1999-11-26 · resigned 2001-03-30
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
The Commercial Union Assurance Company
The Commercial Union Assurance Company LTD
Guarantee & instrument of charge1 property13/11/1968—
outstanding
The Commercial Union Assurance Company
The Commercial Union Assurance Company LTD
Guarantee & instrument of charge1 property30/07/1968—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (98 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-10-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-09-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-10-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2018-09-14