DWF SECRETARIAL SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC140054 · ltd · incorporated 1992-09-02
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.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
81/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Dormant / non-trading with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 81/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (58/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
22 officers (2 active, 22 linked, 19 with DOB)
87
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
132 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
81/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (60 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-07-27
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  7. 2021-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-07-21
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
    accounts · AA01
  9. 2020-03-06
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2020-03-06
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2019-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-06-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  13. 2019-06-18
    ➖
    GILCHRIST, David William resigned
    director
  14. 2019-06-18
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2019-06-18
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2019-06-14
    ➖
    ELLERY, Derek George Mcnicoll resigned
    director
  17. 2019-06-10
    ➖
    MILLER, Colin Barrie resigned
    director
  18. 2019-01-18
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  19. 2019-01-15
    ➖
    BECHELLI, Damien Paul resigned
    director
  20. 2018-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  21. 2018-12-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  22. 2018-12-14
    ➖
    DOCHERTY, Grant resigned
    director
  23. 2016-04-05
    ➖
    BROWN, Ronald Walter resigned
    director
  24. 2012-08-14
    ➖
    BIGGART BAILLIE LLP resigned
    corporate-secretary
  25. 2010-12-06
    ➕
    BECHELLI, Damien Paul appointed
    director
  26. 2010-12-06
    ➕
    GILCHRIST, David William appointed
    director
  27. 2010-09-24
    ➖
    ALLAN, David Stewart resigned
    director
  28. 2010-06-18
    ➖
    FEECHAN, Catherine Mary resigned
    director
  29. 2009-09-08
    ➖
    ROSS, David Craib Hinshaw resigned
    director
  30. 2009-06-30
    ➖
    SMITH, William Wilson Campbell resigned
    director
  31. 2008-08-25
    ➖
    ANDERSON, Neil Robert resigned
    director
  32. 2007-10-22
    ➕
    ANDERSON, Neil Robert appointed
    director
  33. 2007-10-22
    ➕
    BROWN, Ronald Walter appointed
    director
  34. 2007-10-22
    ➕
    DOCHERTY, Grant appointed
    director
  35. 2007-08-06
    ➖
    BIGGART BAILLIE resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  36. 2007-08-06
    ➕
    BIGGART BAILLIE LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  37. 2001-12-31
    ➖
    MCKELVIE, Gordon Campbell resigned
    director
  38. 2001-01-12
    ➕
    PEACOCK, Alasdair Graham appointed
    director
  39. 2000-01-13
    ➕
    LAWRENCE, Wayne appointed
    director
  40. 2000-01-13
    ➕
    MCKELVIE, Gordon Campbell appointed
    director
  41. 2000-01-12
    ➕
    FEECHAN, Catherine Mary appointed
    director
  42. 1999-04-09
    ➖
    LAWRENCE, Wayne resigned
    director
  43. 1999-03-23
    ➖
    MCKAY, Colin Beaton resigned
    director
  44. 1998-10-21
    ➕
    LAWRENCE, Wayne appointed
    director
  45. 1997-08-01
    ➕
    ELLERY, Derek George Mcnicoll appointed
    director
  46. 1997-08-01
    ➕
    MILLER, Colin Barrie appointed
    director
  47. 1996-07-11
    ➖
    OLIVER, Norman Robert resigned
    director
  48. 1994-07-04
    ➕
    MCKAY, Colin Beaton appointed
    director
  49. 1994-07-04
    ➖
    MCWILLIAM, Alan Maitland Dewar resigned
    director
  50. 1993-07-14
    ➕
    ALLAN, David Stewart appointed
    director
Showing most recent 50 of 60 events

Owner dependency

76/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 34 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Dwf Llp is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Dwf Llp
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
DWF SECRETARIAL SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LIMITED
This company · SC140054

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
Dwf Llp
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

6 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
Incorporated1992-09-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

C/O Dwf Llp, Sentinel
103 Waterloo Street
Glasgow
G2 7BW
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-16
Last: 2025-09-02

Officers (2 active · 20 resigned)

LAWRENCE, Wayne→
director · ~60y · appointed 2000-01-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PEACOCK, Alasdair Graham→
director · ~64y · appointed 2001-01-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BIGGART BAILLIE→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1992-09-02 · resigned 2007-08-06
Resigned
BIGGART BAILLIE & GIFFORD WS→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1992-09-02 · resigned 1992-09-02
Resigned
BIGGART BAILLIE LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2007-08-06 · resigned 2012-08-14
Resigned
ALLAN, David Stewart→
director · ~67y · appointed 1993-07-14 · resigned 2010-09-24
Resigned
ANDERSON, Neil Robert→
director · ~55y · appointed 2007-10-22 · resigned 2008-08-25
Resigned
BECHELLI, Damien Paul→
director · ~48y · appointed 2010-12-06 · resigned 2019-01-15
Resigned
BROWN, Ronald Walter→
director · ~65y · appointed 2007-10-22 · resigned 2016-04-05
Resigned
DOCHERTY, Grant→
director · ~63y · appointed 2007-10-22 · resigned 2018-12-14
Resigned
ELLERY, Derek George Mcnicoll→
director · ~65y · appointed 1997-08-01 · resigned 2019-06-14
Resigned
FEECHAN, Catherine Mary→
director · ~58y · appointed 2000-01-12 · resigned 2010-06-18
Resigned
GILCHRIST, David William→
director · ~48y · appointed 2010-12-06 · resigned 2019-06-18
Resigned
HARDIE, James Fraser Mcbride→
director · ~67y · appointed 1992-09-02 · resigned 1992-10-15
Resigned
LAWRENCE, Wayne→
director · ~60y · appointed 1998-10-21 · resigned 1999-04-09
Resigned
MCKAY, Colin Beaton→
director · ~63y · appointed 1994-07-04 · resigned 1999-03-23
Resigned
MCKELVIE, Gordon Campbell→
director · ~62y · appointed 2000-01-13 · resigned 2001-12-31
Resigned
MCWILLIAM, Alan Maitland Dewar→
director · ~73y · appointed 1993-02-01 · resigned 1994-07-04
Resigned
MILLER, Colin Barrie→
director · ~64y · appointed 1997-08-01 · resigned 2019-06-10
Resigned
OLIVER, Norman Robert→
director · ~74y · appointed 1992-09-02 · resigned 1996-07-11
Resigned

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

Recent filings (132 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-02-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-02-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-02-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-01-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-02
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-07-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-04
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2020-07-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-03-06