A. DEWAR RATTRAY LIMITED
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
- 47250SIC 47250
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 87). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -99% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 9.5y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover 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 | £1.04M | £1.19M |
| Current assets | £2.70M | £2.17M |
| Cash | £247 | £29.4k |
| Debtors | £212.6k | £227.3k |
| Net assets | £1.02M | £1.16M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-26📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2022-06-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-05-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-05-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-04-01📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-03-31➖DUPUY, Frances resigneddirector
- 2021-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-03-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-15📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2021-02-12➕MORRISON, Stanley Andrew appointedsecretary
- 2021-02-10📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-02-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-02-08➖WHITE, Nicholas John resignedsecretary
- 2021-02-08➖WHITE, Nicholas John resigneddirector
- 2019-10-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-10-24📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2018-10-24🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2018-10-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2016-10-17🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Adam & Company PLC
- 2008-09-24➕DUPUY, Frances appointeddirector
- 2008-09-24➕WHITE, Nicholas John appointeddirector
- 2008-09-17➖LECKENBY, Stewart resigneddirector
- 2007-04-02➖COWAN, James Edward resigneddirector
- 2006-05-01➕MORRISON, Stanley Andrew appointeddirector
- 2006-05-01➕COWAN, James Edward appointeddirector
- 2004-07-09➖RAFFEL, Thomas Matthew resignedsecretary
- 2004-07-09➕WHITE, Nicholas John appointedsecretary
- 2002-02-01➕RAFFEL, Thomas Matthew appointedsecretary
- 2002-01-31➖MORRISON, Margaret Edith resignedsecretary
- 2000-06-01➕LECKENBY, Stewart appointeddirector
- 1994-06-28➕MORRISON, Margaret Edith appointeddirector
- 1994-06-28➖BRUCE, Charles Russell resignedsecretary
- 1994-06-28➕MORRISON, Margaret Edith appointedsecretary
- 1994-06-28➖BRUCE, Charles Russell resigneddirector
- 1994-06-28➖BRUCE, Williamina Stewart resigneddirector
- 1939-05-23🏢Company incorporatedAs A. DEWAR RATTRAY LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 87 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 87 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 87 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Stanley Walker Morrison Individual · British · DOB 06/1941 · age 85 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/04/2017 |
Mr Stanley Andrew Morrison Individual · British · DOB 07/1977 · age 49 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 28/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (4 active · 10 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 05/10/2018 | — | |
| satisfied | Adam & Company Adam & Company PLC | A registered charge | — | 17/10/2016 | 24/10/2018 |