HARRY LAWSON LIMITED
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (78/100).
Refinance opportunity
7 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 61.7y
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 61.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
- · Profitable and stable/growing — lender coverage supportable.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Profit before tax | £1.68M | £1.63M |
| Average employees | 92 | 9300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 signals 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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-02-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-09📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2019-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-02-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-13📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-06-02➖LAWSON, Harry Burness Stephen resigneddirector
- 2010-05-01➕LAWSON, Michael Stephen appointeddirector
- 1995-08-14➕GOURLAY, Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 1995-08-14➖LAWSON, Harry Stephen resignedsecretary
- 1994-05-05➖LAWSON, Dora Winifred Amelia resigneddirector
- 1987-07-27🔒Charge registered #11Lender: Esso Petroleum Co LTD
- 1978-02-28🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1974-12-09🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1974-05-24🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1966-01-22🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Harry Menzies Robertson
- 1965-01-21🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1964-08-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Forward Trust (Finance) LTD
- 1964-05-25🏢Company incorporatedAs HARRY LAWSON LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LAWSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — 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 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 62 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 lowHeavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.
Group structure
Lawson Trailer Rentals Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lawson Trailer Rentals Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
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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8 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 (3 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Esso Petroleum Co Esso Petroleum Co LTD | Standard security | 1 property | 27/07/1987 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 28/02/1978 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | G r s (angus) standard security | 1 property | 09/12/1974 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | G r s angus standard security | 1 property | 24/05/1974 | — | |
| outstanding | Harry Menzies Robertson / Andrew Robertson | Bond and disposition in security | 1 property | 22/01/1966 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Bond of cash credit & floating charge | 1 property | 21/01/1965 | — | |
| outstanding | Forward Trust (Finance) Forward Trust (Finance) LTD | Disposition & explanatory letter | 1 property | 11/08/1964 | — |