JAMES LAING & SONS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

SC148011 · ltd · incorporated 1993-12-13

Investment thesis

Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.

Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.

Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.

Why now

Window steady · low confidence

Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.

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 Aug 2024

Net worth

£2.46M

book net assets

Opportunity

68/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Electrical installation

Sector: Construction

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

43220Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation
46740SIC 46740
47599Retail sale of furniture, lighting, and similar (not musical instruments or scores) in specialised stores

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company. Reasonable fundamentals — worth a memo before deciding.

Opportunity 68/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

8 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 32.4y

35/100

too messy

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

· Oldest live charge is 32.4 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.

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, 4 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)

Directors & officers

13 officers (7 active, 13 linked, 10 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared

Director network

1 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

150 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

68/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

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

Business quality

Adequate — check latest filings for context.

Acquirability

Some acquirability indicators.

Risk profile

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 £2,461,371

Cash YoY

+7%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£2.7m

↑ 7.1% YoY

Net Worth

£2.5m

↑ 12% YoY

Current Assets

£4.8m

↑ 1.1% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2024-08-31	2023-08-31
Total assets	£2.63M	£2.50M
Current assets	£4.80M	£4.75M
Cash	£2.70M	£2.53M
Debtors	£1.40M	£1.46M
Net assets	£2.46M	£2.20M

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (50 events)Click to expand

2025-08-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2024-08-09
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-29
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-08-30
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-15
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-03-15
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-03-15
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-15
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-15
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-11-03
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-11-01
➕
MURRAY, Janice appointed
director
2022-10-26
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-06-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-16
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2021-11-15
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2021-10-29
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-10-29
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-10-29
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-10-11
📄
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2021-10-08
📄
second-filing-of-secretary-termination-with-name
officers · RP04TM02
2021-10-06
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2021-09-01
➕
CAMERON, Janine appointed
director
2021-09-01
➕
MCKAY, Stuart appointed
director
2021-09-01
➕
STRACHAN, Mark appointed
director
2021-08-27
➖
WALKER, Andrew Charles resigned
director
2021-08-26
➖
WALKER, Andrew Charles resigned
secretary
2016-04-20
➕
ABEL, Kelly Linda appointed
director
2016-04-20
➕
MCKAY, Claire Anne appointed
director
2016-04-20
➕
WALKER, Darren Andrew appointed
director
2016-04-20
➕
WALKER, Andrew Charles appointed
secretary
2016-04-20
➖
STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
corporate-secretary
2014-04-23
🔒
Charge registered #9
Lender: Lombard Technology Services Limited
2014-03-27
🔒
Charge registered #8
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2011-11-25
➖
DUNCAN, Roy resigned
director
2009-10-22
🔒
Charge registered #7
Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2009-10-22
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2008-05-08
➖
STRONACHS resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2008-05-08
➕
STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
corporate-secretary
2007-03-28
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2007-03-28
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2007-03-28
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2007-03-16
➕
DUNCAN, Roy appointed
director
2007-03-16
➖
LAING, Douglas Patrick resigned
director
2007-03-13
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
1994-02-07
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1994-01-26
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1994-01-11
➕
LAING, Douglas Patrick appointed
director
1994-01-11
➕
WALKER, Andrew Charles appointed
director
1993-12-13
🏢
Company incorporated
As JAMES LAING & SONS LIMITED
1993-12-13
➕
STRONACHS appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

48/100

Moderate — manageable with handover

Some founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.

FACTORS

-7 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

45/100

Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS

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.

6 live charges

low

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

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Darren Andrew Walker Individual · British · DOB 10/1978 · age 48	50–75%	50–75%	50-75% shares · 50-75% voting	27/08/2021
Mrs Claire Anne Mckay Individual · British · DOB 01/1985 · age 41	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	27/08/2021

1 historic (ceased) PSC

Acw (Holdings) Limitedceased 27/08/2021· 75-100% shares · firm 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 · Construction · AB postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
SEIVWRIGHT BROTHERS LIMITED→ SC234623 · est 2002	£8.04M £5.74M–£10.33M	—	—	73	23y	87	76y
THISTLE WINDOWS & CONSERVATORIES LIMITED→ SC159622 · est 1995	£1.28M £917.3k–£1.65M	—	—	119	30y	84	65y
SKENE ENTERPRISES (ABERDEEN) LIMITED→ SC072886 · est 1980	£910.0k £650.0k–£1.17M	—	—	105	45y	83	87y
AJC CONSTRUCTION SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC216542 · est 2001	—	—	—	2700	25y	83	60y
AM CAMPBELL (UK) LTD.→ SC212573 · est 2000	—	—	£62.6k	—	25y	83	63y
LADYSBRIDGE VILLAGE LIMITED→ SC262049 · est 2004	—	—	—	0	22y	83	75y
SPARK'S MECHANICAL SERVICES LIMITED→ SC102458 · est 1986	—	—	£3.06M	—	39y	83	59y
T & M SLATING LTD.→ SC251627 · est 2003	—	—	—	9	22y	83	59y
WHITEHILLS DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD.→ SC216307 · est 2001	—	—	£49.1k	—	25y	83	75y
A & B BUCHAN LIMITED→ SC375607 · est 2010	—	—	£945.4k	—	16y	82	62y
A G FLEMING CONSTRUCTION LIMITED→ SC339764 · est 2008	—	—	—	400	18y	82	59y
A J DONALD (SLATERS) LIMITED→ SC345042 · est 2008	—	—	£88.4k	—	17y	82	65y

Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →

🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 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.

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Company details

Statusactive

Typeltd

Incorporated1993-12-13

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC43210 — Electrical installation

Registered office

Laings Bathrooms, Bedrooms And Kitchens Inverurie Business Park

Oldmeldrum Road

Inverurie

Aberdeenshire

AB51 0ZJ

Scotland

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-08-31

Last made up to: 2024-08-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-12-27

Last: 2025-12-13