JAMES LAING & SONS LIMITED
- 43220Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation
- 46740SIC 46740
- 47599Retail sale of furniture, lighting, and similar (not musical instruments or scores) in specialised stores
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 32.3y
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 32.3 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.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover 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.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (50 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-mediumaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-29📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-03-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-03-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-11-03📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-11-01➕MURRAY, Janice appointeddirector
- 2022-10-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-16📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2021-11-15📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2021-10-29📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-10-29📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-10-29📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-10-11📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2021-10-08📄second-filing-of-secretary-termination-with-nameofficers · RP04TM02
- 2021-10-06📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2021-09-01➕CAMERON, Janine appointeddirector
- 2021-09-01➕MCKAY, Stuart appointeddirector
- 2021-09-01➕STRACHAN, Mark appointeddirector
- 2021-08-27➖WALKER, Andrew Charles resigneddirector
- 2021-08-26➖WALKER, Andrew Charles resignedsecretary
- 2016-04-20➕ABEL, Kelly Linda appointeddirector
- 2016-04-20➕MCKAY, Claire Anne appointeddirector
- 2016-04-20➕WALKER, Darren Andrew appointeddirector
- 2016-04-20➕WALKER, Andrew Charles appointedsecretary
- 2016-04-20➖STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2014-04-23🔒Charge registered #9Lender: Lombard Technology Services Limited
- 2014-03-27🔒Charge registered #8Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2011-11-25➖DUNCAN, Roy resigneddirector
- 2009-10-22🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2009-10-22🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2008-05-08➖STRONACHS resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2008-05-08➕STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2007-03-28🔒Charge registered #5Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2007-03-28🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2007-03-28🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2007-03-16➕DUNCAN, Roy appointeddirector
- 2007-03-16➖LAING, Douglas Patrick resigneddirector
- 2007-03-13🔒Charge registered #4Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1994-02-07🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1994-01-26🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1994-01-11➕LAING, Douglas Patrick appointeddirector
- 1994-01-11➕WALKER, Andrew Charles appointeddirector
- 1993-12-13🏢Company incorporatedAs JAMES LAING & SONS LIMITED
- 1993-12-13➕STRONACHS appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
Some founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.
- -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
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 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 lowMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
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.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. STRACHAN JOINERY SERVICES LTD→ SC383666 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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| KERO PROPERTIES LTD→ SC692692 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| KEVIN BEATTIE PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICES LIMITED→ SC223272 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (7 active · 6 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lombard Technology Services Lombard Technology Services Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 23/04/2014 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 27/03/2014 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 22/10/2009 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 22/10/2009 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 28/03/2007 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 13/03/2007 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 07/02/1994 | 28/03/2007 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 26/01/1994 | 28/03/2007 |