JAMES LAIRD (GOLD BEATERS) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC028711 · ltd · incorporated 1952-01-28
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£530.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
101 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £530,177
Net assets shrinking
Down £103,029 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£530k
↓ 16% YoY
Current Assets
£63k
↓ 20% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £530.2k | £633.2k |
| Current assets | £62.6k | £78.6k |
| Net assets | £530.2k | £633.2k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-07📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-04-07📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-07-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-13📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-05-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-05-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-05-24📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-05-23➕LAIRD, Martin George appointeddirector
- 2024-05-23➖LAIRD, Kenneth Crawford resigneddirector
- 2024-05-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-05-23📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-05-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2007-10-01➕MITCHELL, Steven appointedsecretary
- 2007-10-01➖LAIRD, Audrey Mclennan resignedsecretary
- 2007-10-01➖LAIRD, Audrey Mclennan resigneddirector
- 1994-02-04➖LAIRD, Wilson Crawford resigneddirector
- 1990-04-06➕LAIRD, Kenneth Crawford appointeddirector
- 1952-01-28🏢Company incorporatedAs JAMES LAIRD (GOLD BEATERS) LIMITED
Owner dependency
90/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LAIRD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
Succession & seller-readiness
45/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Kenneth Crawford Laird Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | 50–75% | 50–75% | 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting | 31/03/2026 |
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Martin George Lairdceased 19/03/2026· significant influence · firm interest
- Mr Martin George Lairdceased 23/05/2024· significant influence
- Mr Martin George Lairdceased 23/05/2024· 50-75% shares
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 →Similar companies
Active · Retail · G postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAY YOUR WAY CARPETS LIMITED→ SC852229 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PEDLAR LTD→ SC724245 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| PETER STORE LTD→ SC630634 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| PHS TRADING LTD→ SC871515 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PI DRUM SHOP LIMITED→ SC595912 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| PILLAR AND SABLE LTD→ SC854853 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PINK POODLE LIMITED→ SC237375 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| PLECOMM LTD→ SC868602 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PLUSH LINEN LTD→ SC810222 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| POUNDLY LTD→ SC869028 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| POWDIFY LTD→ SC818503 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| PRATAP BROTHERS ECOMM LIMITED→ SC882261 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1952-01-28
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47789 — Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Registered office
18 Craig Road
Cathcart
Glasgow
G44 3DW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-25
Last: 2025-05-11
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
Active
LAIRD, Martin George→
Activedirector · ~30y · appointed 2024-05-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LAIRD, Audrey Mclennan→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2007-10-01
LAIRD, Audrey Mclennan→
Resigneddirector · ~94y · resigned 2007-10-01
LAIRD, Kenneth Crawford→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 1990-04-06 · resigned 2024-05-23
LAIRD, Wilson Crawford→
Resigneddirector · ~99y · resigned 1994-02-04
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (101 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-04-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-04-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-14
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-24
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-05-24
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-05-24
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-05-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-05-23
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-05-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-05-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-11