ARCHD. FERGUSSON LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC035756 · ltd · incorporated 1960-10-20
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 44.3y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£724.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Construction of commercial buildings
Sector: Construction
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 41202Construction of domestic buildings
- 42990Construction of other civil engineering projects n.e.c.
Investor take
Special-situation opportunityDistressed construction with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 92). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: 1 insolvency-related filing on record. Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 44.3y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 44.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (4 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
106 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
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
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £723,958
Cash YoY
+50%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£370k
↑ 50% YoY
Net Worth
£724k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£844k
↓ 4.0% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £765.0k | £758.1k |
| Current assets | £844.4k | £879.9k |
| Cash | £370.1k | £246.6k |
| Debtors | £20.4k | £13.5k |
| Net assets | £724.0k | £720.2k |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-23➕THOMSON, Lynda Eileen Jane appointeddirector
- 2024-08-23📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-07-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-18📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2019-04-18⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2019-04-18📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2019-04-18📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-04-18📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2019-04-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-03-29➖CAMPBELL, John resigneddirector
- 2019-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-21📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2010-10-27🔒Charge registered #3Lender: The Scottish Ministers
- 2005-08-06➖THOMSON, Walter M resigneddirector
- 2001-03-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1991-10-01➕THOMSON, Stewart Alexander appointeddirector
- 1990-12-31➖MACISAAC, Martha resigneddirector
- 1982-01-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1960-10-20🏢Company incorporatedAs ARCHD. FERGUSSON LIMITED
Owner dependency
83/100
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
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 35 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 92 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
80/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 92 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 35 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 high ·1 insolvency-related filing on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2019-04-18: legacy
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Iseabal Mcarthur Thomson Individual · British · DOB 10/1934 · age 92 | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Stewart Alexander Thomson Individual · British · DOB 11/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated1960-10-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC41201 — Construction of commercial buildings
Registered office
Ardgowan
Strachur
Cairndow
Argyll
PA27 8DG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-14
Last: 2025-09-30
Officers (4 active · 3 resigned)
Active
Active
THOMSON, Lynda Eileen Jane→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2024-08-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
THOMSON, Stewart Alexander→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 1991-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CAMPBELL, John→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · resigned 2019-03-29
MACISAAC, Martha→
Resigneddirector · resigned 1990-12-31
THOMSON, Walter M→
Resigneddirector · ~93y · resigned 2005-08-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | The Scottish Ministers | Standard security | 1 property | 27/10/2010 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 12/03/2001 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 11/01/1982 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (106 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-30
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-08-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-01
capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figure
capital · SH19
2019-04-18