DEACON BROTHERS (PRINTERS) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC029829 · ltd · incorporated 1954-01-19
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
£244.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 17230
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 57). 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 (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 63.2y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 63.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
75
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
11 officers (1 active, 11 linked, 7 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
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 £244,505
Net assets shrinking
Down £19,073 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 63% YoY
Cash YoY
-63%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£19k
↓ 63% YoY
Net Worth
£245k
↓ 7.2% YoY
Current Assets
£310k
↓ 11% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£70k£139k£209k£279k£348kFeb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-02-282024-02-29
Total assets£258.5k£288.0k
Current assets£309.7k£348.2k
Cash£19.3k£52.6k
Debtors£243.1k£244.0k
Net assets£244.5k£263.6k

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
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-17
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  2. 2025-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-05-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-11-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-05-24
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  6. 2022-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-11-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-11-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  9. 2021-11-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2021-11-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2021-11-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  12. 2021-11-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  13. 2021-11-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  14. 2021-09-20
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2021-09-20
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2021-09-20
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  17. 2021-09-06
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  18. 2021-09-06
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  19. 2021-09-06
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  20. 2021-09-03
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  21. 2021-08-31
    ➖
    DEACON, George Battisby resigned
    secretary
  22. 2021-08-31
    ➖
    DEACON, Colin James resigned
    director
  23. 2021-08-31
    ➖
    DEACON, George Battisby resigned
    director
  24. 2021-08-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Mr Colin Deacon
  25. 2020-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  26. 2010-05-04
    ➕
    MCCOTTER, Thomas appointed
    director
  27. 2007-02-28
    ➖
    DEACON, Derek Edmund resigned
    director
  28. 1997-05-19
    ➖
    DEACON, Cecil Oakley resigned
    secretary
  29. 1997-05-19
    ➕
    DEACON, George Battisby appointed
    secretary
  30. 1997-05-19
    ➖
    DEACON, Cecil Oakley resigned
    director
  31. 1997-04-08
    ➖
    MONTGOMERY, Alexander Stuart Fraser resigned
    director
  32. 1997-01-01
    ➕
    DEACON, Colin James appointed
    director
  33. 1997-01-01
    ➕
    DEACON, Derek Edmund appointed
    director
  34. 1997-01-01
    ➕
    DEACON, George Battisby appointed
    director
  35. 1996-01-22
    ➕
    DEACON, Cecil Oakley appointed
    director
  36. 1995-12-31
    ➖
    DEACON, George Rome resigned
    director
  37. 1991-04-29
    ➖
    DEACON, Mary Margaret resigned
    secretary
  38. 1991-04-01
    ➖
    DEACON, Cecil Oakley resigned
    director
  39. 1988-11-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  40. 1966-01-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Commercial Bank of Scotland LTD
  41. 1963-02-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Commercial Bank of Scotland LTD
  42. 1954-01-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DEACON BROTHERS (PRINTERS) LIMITED

Owner dependency

85/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

68/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 72 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.

Group structure

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

🏛️
Deacon Brothers (Holdings) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
DEACON BROTHERS (PRINTERS) LIMITED
This company · SC029829

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
Deacon Brothers (Holdings) Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting31/08/2021
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr George Battisby Deaconceased 31/08/2021· 25-50% shares
  • Mr Colin James Deaconceased 31/08/2021· 25-50% 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 →

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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
Incorporated1954-01-19
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC17230 — SIC 17230

Registered office

Old Mill Park
Kirkintilloch
Glasgow
G66 1SW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-01
Last: 2026-04-17

Officers (1 active · 10 resigned)

MCCOTTER, Thomas→
director · ~57y · appointed 2010-05-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DEACON, Cecil Oakley→
secretary · resigned 1997-05-19
Resigned
DEACON, George Battisby→
secretary · appointed 1997-05-19 · resigned 2021-08-31
Resigned
DEACON, Mary Margaret→
secretary · resigned 1991-04-29
Resigned
DEACON, Cecil Oakley→
director · ~99y · appointed 1996-01-22 · resigned 1997-05-19
Resigned
DEACON, Cecil Oakley→
director · resigned 1991-04-01
Resigned
DEACON, Colin James→
director · ~64y · appointed 1997-01-01 · resigned 2021-08-31
Resigned
DEACON, Derek Edmund→
director · ~61y · appointed 1997-01-01 · resigned 2007-02-28
Resigned
DEACON, George Battisby→
director · ~64y · appointed 1997-01-01 · resigned 2021-08-31
Resigned
DEACON, George Rome→
director · ~95y · resigned 1995-12-31
Resigned
MONTGOMERY, Alexander Stuart Fraser→
director · ~93y · resigned 1997-04-08
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Mr Colin Deacon / Mr George Deacon
A registered charge—31/08/2021—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property14/11/198815/11/2021
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
National Commercial Bank of Scotland LTD
Bond of cash credit & disposition in security1 property13/01/196615/11/2021
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
National Commercial Bank of Scotland LTD
Bond (cash credit) and disposition in security1 property28/02/196315/11/2021
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (110 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-23
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-05-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-11-23
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-11-15
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-11-15
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-11-15