JAMES ASHTON & SON LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC027285 · ltd · incorporated 1949-10-04
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other human health activities
Sector: Human health & social work
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 77). 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: strategic trade sale (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

9 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 49.1y

35/100
too messy

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 49.1 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: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
147 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
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Average employees20001900

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 capital
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 capital
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 capital
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (46 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-22
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  2. 2025-11-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-07-19
    ➖
    SPEEDIE, Maurice William resigned
    director
  4. 2025-06-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2025-06-10
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  6. 2024-06-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-04-26
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  8. 2023-08-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-05-18
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  10. 2022-09-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2022-06-23
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  12. 2021-09-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-07-05
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  14. 2020-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2020-02-19
    📄
    legacy
    miscellaneous · RP04CS01
  16. 2019-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-10-12
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  18. 2018-10-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #9
  19. 2018-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  20. 2005-05-03
    ➕
    WILDE, Roy Shelley appointed
    director
  21. 2004-01-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #8
  22. 2004-01-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  23. 2004-01-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  24. 2001-10-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  25. 2001-09-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  26. 2001-09-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  27. 2001-09-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #9
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  28. 2001-06-01
    ➕
    WRIGHT, Elaine appointed
    secretary
  29. 2001-05-31
    ➖
    DAVIS, Thomas Edwin resigned
    secretary
  30. 1996-08-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  31. 1996-08-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  32. 1996-08-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  33. 1996-08-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  34. 1995-08-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  35. 1995-07-19
    ➕
    SPEEDIE, Grant John William appointed
    director
  36. 1995-07-19
    ➕
    DAVIS, Thomas Edwin appointed
    secretary
  37. 1995-07-19
    ➕
    SPEEDIE, Maurice William appointed
    director
  38. 1995-07-03
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Miss Euphemia Mary Taylor
  39. 1995-07-03
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Maurice William Speedie
  40. 1995-06-30
    ➖
    TAYLOR, Euphemia Mary resigned
    secretary
  41. 1995-06-30
    ➖
    SPEEDIE, Maurice William resigned
    director
  42. 1995-06-30
    ➖
    TAYLOR, Euphemia Mary resigned
    director
  43. 1995-06-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Miss Euphemia Mary Taylor
  44. 1995-06-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Maurice William Speedie
  45. 1977-03-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  46. 1949-10-04
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As JAMES ASHTON & SON 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 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 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 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 77 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 ·
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 · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Roy Shelley Wilde
Individual · British · DOB 10/1949 · age 77
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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
Incorporated1949-10-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC86900 — Other human health activities

Registered office

1a Cardean Street
Dundee
DD4 6PS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-12
Last: 2025-11-28

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

WRIGHT, Elaine→
secretary · appointed 2001-06-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SPEEDIE, Grant John William→
director · ~62y · appointed 1995-07-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WILDE, Roy Shelley→
director · ~77y · appointed 2005-05-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DAVIS, Thomas Edwin→
secretary · appointed 1995-07-19 · resigned 2001-05-31
Resigned
TAYLOR, Euphemia Mary→
secretary · resigned 1995-06-30
Resigned
SPEEDIE, Maurice William→
director · ~94y · appointed 1995-07-19 · resigned 2025-07-19
Resigned
SPEEDIE, Maurice William→
director · ~94y · resigned 1995-06-30
Resigned
TAYLOR, Euphemia Mary→
director · ~92y · resigned 1995-06-30
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

9
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Standard security1 property02/10/200130/01/2004
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Standard security1 property28/09/200130/01/2004
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Standard security1 property28/09/200130/01/2004
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Floating charge1 property13/09/200112/10/2018
satisfied
Miss Euphemia Mary Taylor
Standard security1 property03/07/199526/08/1996
satisfied
Maurice William Speedie
Standard security1 property03/07/199526/08/1996
satisfied
Miss Euphemia Mary Taylor
Bond & floating charge1 property30/06/199526/08/1996
satisfied
Maurice William Speedie
Bond & floating charge1 property30/06/199529/08/1996
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Standard security2 properties25/03/197722/08/1995

Recent filings (147 total)

capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2026-04-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-18
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-06-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-10
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-21
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2023-05-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-23
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-06-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-15