DAVID MACDONALD LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

SC010505 · ltd · incorporated 1919-07-03

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

—

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Turnover

—

year to Mar 2025

Net worth

£1.50M

book net assets

Opportunity

78/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.

Sector: Other service activities

Investor take

Pursue

Asset-holding vehicle. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 72/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

6 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 50.7y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 50.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)

Directors & officers

9 officers (6 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

2 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

111 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

78/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared

Positive net assets

Net assets £1,499,471

Cash YoY

+280%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£263k

↑ 280% YoY

Net Worth

£1.5m

↑ 3.7% YoY

Current Assets

£1.5m

↑ 65% 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	£1.50M	£2.04M
Current assets	£1.55M	£940.3k
Cash	£263.5k	£69.4k
Debtors	£884.4k	£870.9k
Net assets	£1.50M	£1.45M

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (39 events)Click to expand

2025-10-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-26
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-26
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
2024-07-25
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-25
🔓
Charge satisfied #5
2023-07-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-17
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-02-08
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: Hampden & Co PLC
2021-12-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-14
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-12-07
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: Hampden & Co PLC, 9 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DR
2021-10-14
➕
MACRAE, Cameron Fraser appointed
director
2021-10-14
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-02-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-07
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2020-08-07
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2020-08-01
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2019-12-11
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-10-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-04-07
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2018-04-01
➕
MACRAE, Murray Ross appointed
director
2018-03-22
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
2017-11-21
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2016-10-10
➕
MACRAE, Murray Ross appointed
secretary
2009-12-31
➕
MACRAE, Colin William appointed
secretary
2009-12-31
➖
MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
corporate-secretary
2008-12-04
➖
MORTON FRASER resigned
corporate-secretary
2008-12-04
➕
MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
corporate-secretary
2002-11-01
➕
MORTON FRASER appointed
corporate-secretary
2002-11-01
➖
ROBSON MCLEAN WS resigned
corporate-secretary
1993-03-15
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
1993-03-15
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
1993-02-26
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1992-10-12
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1992-10-08
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1975-08-19
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
1919-07-03
🏢
Company incorporated
As DAVID MACDONALD LIMITED

Owner dependency

63/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

-4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

30/100

Weak signal

Limited succession signal. Not a near-term off-market candidate.

SIGNALS

primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — MACRAE, Cameron Fraser (same surname) appointed 2021-10-14. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 107 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 med ·

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Colin William Macrae Individual · British · DOB 09/1946 · age 80	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	06/04/2016

1 historic (ceased) PSC

Mr Neil Cleland Macraeceased 31/07/2020· 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.

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Similar companies

Active · Trade services · EH postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
EXECSPACE LIMITED→ SC332838 · est 2007 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	18y	—	—
EXPRESS YOURSELFIE LTD→ SC671977 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
FAB DESIGN LIVINGSTON LTD→ SC870707 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
FADE CRAFT LTD→ SC816777 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
FAMILY MEDIATION SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC355596 · est 2009 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	—	—
FEET & CO PODIATRY LTD→ SC726888 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
FIFE BAR HOLDINGS LTD→ SC832248 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
FIFE BOOK STORAGE LTD→ SC819298 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
FINESSE BARBERSHOP LTD→ SC762476 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
FINTECH LIFE LIMITED→ SC644607 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—
FIRE AND ICE SCOTLAND LTD→ SC740712 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—
FIREFLY BRANDING LTD→ SC532209 · est 2016 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—

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.

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Company details

Statusactive

Typeltd

Incorporated1919-07-03

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

121 Craigleith Road

Edinburgh

EH4 2EH

Scotland

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-01-05

Last made up to: 2025-03-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-01-14

Last: 2025-12-31