DEREK GREENHORN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC144688 · ltd · incorporated 1993-06-01
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Public houses and bars
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 5 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 32.6y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 32.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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, 1 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
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
94 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
74
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Sept 2023Sept 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-09-302023-09-30
Average employees800900

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 (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-06-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-06-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-04-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-04-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-04-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-05-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2015-07-03
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-04-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2014-07-14
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-04-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2013-07-18
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2010-08-23
    ➕
    BOYD, Ingrid appointed
    secretary
  17. 2010-08-23
    ➖
    GREENHORN, Ann resigned
    secretary
  18. 2001-06-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  19. 1996-07-23
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  20. 1996-06-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 1996-06-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Bass Brewers Limited
  22. 1996-06-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  23. 1996-05-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Bass Brewers Limited
  24. 1996-05-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  25. 1993-10-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Bass Brewers Limited
  26. 1993-10-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Bass Brewers Limited
  27. 1993-06-24
    ➕
    GREENHORN, Derek Clinton appointed
    director
  28. 1993-06-24
    ➕
    GREENHORN, Ann appointed
    secretary
  29. 1993-06-24
    ➖
    BISHOP & ROBERTSON CHALMERS resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 1993-06-24
    ➖
    LANG, James Russell resigned
    nominee-director
  31. 1993-06-24
    ➖
    MILLAR, James Allan resigned
    nominee-director
  32. 1993-06-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DEREK GREENHORN LIMITED
  33. 1993-06-01
    ➕
    BISHOP & ROBERTSON CHALMERS appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  34. 1993-06-01
    ➕
    LANG, James Russell appointed
    nominee-director
  35. 1993-06-01
    ➕
    MILLAR, James Allan appointed
    nominee-director

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 "GREENHORN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
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 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 33 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 33 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 · 1 low
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.

5 live charges
low

Heavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Derek Clinton Greenhorn
Individual · British · DOB 03/1961 · age 65
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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
Incorporated1993-06-01
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC56302 — Public houses and bars

Registered office

The Railway Tavern
1410/1416 Shettleston Road
Glasgow
G32 9AL

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-14
Last: 2025-06-30

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

BOYD, Ingrid→
secretary · appointed 2010-08-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GREENHORN, Derek Clinton→
director · ~65y · appointed 1993-06-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GREENHORN, Ann→
secretary · appointed 1993-06-24 · resigned 2010-08-23
Resigned
BISHOP & ROBERTSON CHALMERS→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-06-01 · resigned 1993-06-24
Resigned
LANG, James Russell→
nominee-director · ~74y · appointed 1993-06-01 · resigned 1993-06-24
Resigned
MILLAR, James Allan→
nominee-director · ~77y · appointed 1993-06-01 · resigned 1993-06-24
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
5
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property12/06/2001—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property10/06/1996—
outstanding
Bass Brewers
Bass Brewers Limited
Standard security1 property07/06/1996—
outstanding
Bass Brewers
Bass Brewers Limited
Bond & floating charge1 property31/05/1996—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property31/05/1996—
satisfied
Bass Brewers
Bass Brewers Limited
Standard security1 property29/10/199323/07/1996
satisfied
Bass Brewers
Bass Brewers Limited
Bond & floating charge1 property04/10/199307/06/1996
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (94 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-04-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-07-02