NICHOL MCKAY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC063627 · ltd · incorporated 1977-12-06
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
£720.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
66/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Special-situation opportunity
Distressed manufacturing with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 66/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 6 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

8 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 43.4y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 43.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 6 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
8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)
90
Directors & officers
13 officers (1 active, 13 linked, 10 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
163 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
66/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
59
Some moderate concerns — review 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 £720,862
Cash YoY
+107%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£113k
↑ 107% YoY
Net Worth
£721k
↑ 62% YoY
Current Assets
£2.2m
↓ 17% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£537k£1.1m£1.6m£2.1m£2.7mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£1.38M£542.1k
Current assets£2.24M£2.68M
Cash£112.5k£54.4k
Debtors£1.41M£1.79M
Net assets£720.9k£444.8k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 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

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (54 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-22
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  3. 2025-01-21
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  4. 2025-01-21
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  5. 2025-01-10
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  6. 2025-01-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Close Brothers Limited
  7. 2024-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-08-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-08-02
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2022-08-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  12. 2022-06-29
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  13. 2022-06-29
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  14. 2022-04-13
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  15. 2022-04-13
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  16. 2021-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2020-10-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2020-05-07
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  19. 2020-03-31
    ➖
    ROUGH, Stewart Harley resigned
    director
  20. 2020-02-19
    ➖
    MCKENZIE, Scott Gregor resigned
    director
  21. 2020-02-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  22. 2019-09-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  23. 2017-06-01
    ➕
    MCKENZIE, Scott Gregor appointed
    director
  24. 2017-06-01
    ➕
    ROUGH, Stewart Harley appointed
    director
  25. 2015-12-16
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  26. 2015-12-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: West of Scotland Loan Fund
  27. 2014-02-14
    ➖
    GEDGE, Richard John resigned
    secretary
  28. 2014-02-14
    ➖
    GEDGE, Richard John resigned
    director
  29. 2013-03-21
    ➖
    NICHOL, Raymond Blackie resigned
    director
  30. 2011-08-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  31. 2011-05-13
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  32. 2010-09-09
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  33. 2010-06-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  34. 2009-09-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
  35. 2009-07-21
    ➕
    NICHOL, Andrew appointed
    director
  36. 2008-12-31
    ➖
    WORRALL, Keith, Managing Director resigned
    director
  37. 2007-10-12
    ➕
    GEDGE, Richard John appointed
    director
  38. 2007-07-01
    ➕
    WORRALL, Keith, Managing Director appointed
    director
  39. 2000-12-24
    ➖
    DOOLE, Andrew Corbett resigned
    director
  40. 2000-09-18
    ➖
    MCMURRAY, Raymond resigned
    director
  41. 1999-09-20
    ➕
    MCMURRAY, Raymond appointed
    director
  42. 1999-07-16
    ➖
    NICOL, Gavin resigned
    director
  43. 1999-04-12
    ➕
    DOOLE, Andrew Corbett appointed
    director
  44. 1998-03-04
    ➕
    NICOL, Gavin appointed
    director
  45. 1993-10-01
    ➕
    GEDGE, Richard John appointed
    secretary
  46. 1993-10-01
    ➖
    WALKER, Iain resigned
    secretary
  47. 1992-12-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  48. 1991-06-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Robert Walter Mckay and Another
  49. 1990-12-20
    ➖
    MCKAY, Robert Walter, Mr. resigned
    secretary
  50. 1990-12-20
    ➕
    WALKER, Iain appointed
    secretary
Showing most recent 50 of 54 events

Owner dependency

100/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "NICHOL" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

63/100
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 17 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 48 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 high · 1 med ·
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-04-19

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

Brodies & Co. (Trustees) Limited holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.

🏛️
Brodies & Co. (Trustees) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares
significant stake
⬇
NICHOL MCKAY LIMITED
This company · SC063627

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Brodies & Co. (Trustees) Limited
Corporate entity
25–50%
—25-50% shares27/06/2022
Betty Nichol
Individual · British · DOB 10/1950 · age 76
25–50%
—25-50% shares12/04/2022
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Executors Of The Estate Of Raymond B Nicholceased 12/04/2022· 50-75% shares · trust interest

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 · Manufacturing · KA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
IS459 CERAMICS LTD→
SC839879 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
JNG DESIGNS LTD→
SC311107 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————19y——
NIMES AVIATION LTD→
SC853332 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
PINEHURST VENTURES LTD→
SC690907 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————5y——
PLANET RENEWABLES LTD→
SC393371 · est 2011 · no financials extracted
————15y——
POLE AVIATION LTD→
SC843436 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
PREMIER POLYMER SOLUTIONS LTD→
SC868907 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
PRESTWICK AIRCRAFT TOOLING LIMITED→
SC676659 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
PROJECT MANUFACTURING (SCOTLAND) LTD.→
SC344499 · est 2008 · no financials extracted
————17y——
RAVENSURE HEATING SERVICES LIMITED→
SC433671 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
————13y——
RED ROCK INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC644796 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
REFRESH RETAIL LTD→
SC840120 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
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
Incorporated1977-12-06
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990

Registered office

Building 190 Prestwick Airport
Monkton
Prestwick
Ayrshire
KA9 2SB

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-04-19OVERDUE
Last: 2025-04-05

Officers (1 active · 12 resigned)

NICHOL, Andrew→
director · ~47y · appointed 2009-07-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GEDGE, Richard John→
secretary · appointed 1993-10-01 · resigned 2014-02-14
Resigned
MCKAY, Robert Walter, Mr.→
secretary · resigned 1990-12-20
Resigned
WALKER, Iain→
secretary · appointed 1990-12-20 · resigned 1993-10-01
Resigned
DOOLE, Andrew Corbett→
director · ~80y · appointed 1999-04-12 · resigned 2000-12-24
Resigned
GEDGE, Richard John→
director · ~91y · appointed 2007-10-12 · resigned 2014-02-14
Resigned
MCKAY, Robert Walter, Mr.→
director · ~91y · resigned 1990-12-20
Resigned
MCKENZIE, Scott Gregor→
director · ~46y · appointed 2017-06-01 · resigned 2020-02-19
Resigned
MCMURRAY, Raymond→
director · ~80y · appointed 1999-09-20 · resigned 2000-09-18
Resigned
NICHOL, Raymond Blackie→
director · ~81y · resigned 2013-03-21
Resigned
NICOL, Gavin→
director · ~65y · appointed 1998-03-04 · resigned 1999-07-16
Resigned
ROUGH, Stewart Harley→
director · ~59y · appointed 2017-06-01 · resigned 2020-03-31
Resigned
WORRALL, Keith, Managing Director→
director · ~63y · appointed 2007-07-01 · resigned 2008-12-31
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

8
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:8 of 8 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Close Brothers
Close Brothers Limited
A registered charge—10/01/2025—
satisfied
West of Scotland Loan Fund
A registered charge—14/12/201502/08/2022
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Floating charge1 property04/08/2011—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Floating charge1 property22/06/2010—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
Bond & floating charge1 property08/09/200913/05/2011
satisfied
Robert Walter Mckay and Another
Floating charge1 property28/06/199104/12/1992
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Standard security1 property14/12/198916/12/2015
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property29/11/198209/09/2010
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (163 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2025-09-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-17
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2025-01-22
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2025-01-21
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2025-01-21
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2022-12-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-08-02
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2022-06-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-14