MACAULAY ASKERNISH LTD.

🌳Matureactive
SC122689 · ltd · incorporated 1990-02-01
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£4.84M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does

Based in South Uist, Scotland, this small firm most likely operates across quarrying or aggregate extraction, road construction, fuel retail, and freight haulage — a diversified mix of rural infrastructure and logistics activities typical of a remote island community serving local construction and transport needs.

Primary activity: SIC 08110
Sector: Mining & quarrying
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 42990Construction of other civil engineering projects n.e.c.
  • 47300Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised stores
  • 49410Freight transport by road
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 35.2y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 35.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 35/100 — 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, 4 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (4 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
102 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
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
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 £4,843,336
Cash YoY
+427%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£3.2m
↑ 427% YoY
Net Worth
£4.8m
↑ 66% YoY
Current Assets
£4.5m
↑ 83% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£969k£1.9m£2.9m£3.9m£4.8mDec 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£5.27M£3.27M
Current assets£4.52M£2.47M
Cash£3.19M£605.0k
Debtors£1.33M£1.85M
Net assets£4.84M£2.92M

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-03-27
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2022-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-06-18
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  7. 2021-06-18
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  8. 2021-05-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-11-14
    ➕
    MACAULAY, Donald John appointed
    director
  10. 2020-11-14
    ➕
    MCAULAY, Stephen appointed
    director
  11. 2020-08-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-06-07
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  13. 2019-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-06-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2016-09-30
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  18. 2016-06-16
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  19. 2012-11-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  20. 2000-10-23
    ➕
    MACAULAY, Morag Ann appointed
    secretary
  21. 2000-10-23
    ➖
    MACAULAY, Alistair resigned
    secretary
  22. 1999-07-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  23. 1999-07-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  24. 1999-07-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  25. 1999-07-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  26. 1998-07-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  27. 1997-06-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  28. 1997-01-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  29. 1997-01-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  30. 1997-01-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  31. 1995-05-16
    ➕
    MACAULEY, John appointed
    director
  32. 1995-05-16
    ➖
    MACAULEY, John resigned
    director
  33. 1995-05-13
    ➖
    MACAULAY, Donald John resigned
    director
  34. 1991-03-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  35. 1990-02-19
    ➕
    MACAULAY, Alistair appointed
    director
  36. 1990-02-19
    ➕
    MACAULAY, Alistair appointed
    secretary
  37. 1990-02-19
    ➕
    MACAULAY, Donald John appointed
    director
  38. 1990-02-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MACAULAY ASKERNISH LTD.

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MACAULAY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 36 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 36 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 36 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.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alistair Macaulay
Individual · British · DOB 06/1953 · age 73
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

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

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 →
🔒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
Incorporated1990-02-01
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC08110 — SIC 08110

Registered office

Hillside Garage
Lochboisdale
South Uist
HS8 5TH

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-21
Last: 2025-06-07

Officers (4 active · 3 resigned)

MACAULAY, Morag Ann→
secretary · appointed 2000-10-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACAULAY, Alistair→
director · ~73y · appointed 1990-02-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACAULAY, Donald John→
director · ~43y · appointed 2020-11-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCAULAY, Stephen→
director · ~41y · appointed 2020-11-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACAULAY, Alistair→
secretary · appointed 1990-02-19 · resigned 2000-10-23
Resigned
MACAULAY, Donald John→
director · ~108y · appointed 1990-02-19 · resigned 1995-05-13
Resigned
MACAULEY, John→
director · ~74y · appointed 1995-05-16 · resigned 1995-05-16
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property16/11/2012—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property07/07/1998—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property10/06/199726/07/1999
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property09/01/199726/07/1999
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property09/01/199726/07/1999
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property09/01/199726/07/1999
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property28/03/1991—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (102 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-18
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-06-18
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-22