EBBA SERVICES LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC162955 · ltd · incorporated 1996-01-29
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.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2025
Net worth
£42.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01500
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 76-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (75/100, director aged 76). 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

4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 29.0y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 29.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
86 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
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 £42,897
Net assets shrinking
Down £24,309 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 63% YoY
Cash YoY
-63%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£7k
↓ 63% YoY
Net Worth
£43k
↓ 36% YoY
Current Assets
£10k
↓ 53% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£13k£27k£40k£54k£67kJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£44.5k£76.0k
Current assets£9.7k£20.8k
Cash£6.9k£18.8k
Debtors£727—
Net assets£42.9k£67.2k

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
3
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-09
    📄
    replacement-filing-of-director-appointment-with-name
    officers · RP01AP01
  2. 2025-12-23
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  3. 2025-12-17
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2025-10-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-02-24
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  9. 2021-10-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-12-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-12-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  12. 2020-12-03
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  13. 2020-12-03
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2020-10-27
    ➕
    MACGREGOR, Alison appointed
    director
  15. 2020-08-24
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  16. 2019-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-10-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  18. 2007-02-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  19. 2005-10-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  20. 2001-05-24
    ➖
    FINLAY, George James resigned
    director
  21. 2000-11-15
    ➕
    MACGREGOR, Alison Jane appointed
    secretary
  22. 2000-11-15
    ➖
    FINLAY, George James resigned
    secretary
  23. 1997-08-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lombard North Central PLC
  24. 1997-07-23
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  25. 1997-06-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  26. 1996-02-01
    ➕
    SCOUGAL, John Craig appointed
    director
  27. 1996-02-01
    ➕
    FINLAY, George James appointed
    secretary
  28. 1996-02-01
    ➕
    FINLAY, George James appointed
    director
  29. 1996-01-29
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As EBBA SERVICES LIMITED
  30. 1996-01-29
    ➕
    REID, Brian appointed
    nominee-secretary
  31. 1996-01-29
    ➖
    REID, Brian resigned
    nominee-secretary
  32. 1996-01-29
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen appointed
    nominee-director
  33. 1996-01-29
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen resigned
    nominee-director
  34. 1996-01-29
    ➕
    SCOUGAL, John Craig appointed
    director
  35. 1996-01-29
    ➖
    SCOUGAL, John Craig resigned
    director

Owner dependency

83/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
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 76 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 30 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Miss Alison Macgregor
Individual · British · DOB 01/1966 · age 60
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting16/12/2025
Mr John Craig Scougal
Individual · British · DOB 05/1950 · age 76
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting29/01/2017
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Miss Alison Mcgregorceased 15/12/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Agriculture · TD postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ANDREW ROBINSON (FARMS) LIMITED→
01074395 · est 1972
———053y8374y
FORD & ETAL FARMS 1994 LIMITED→
02968719 · est 1994
———031y8373y
R.P.B. PRESSEN HILL LTD.→
03312014 · est 1997
——£1.41M—29y8386y
SANDYSTONES LTD→
SC276553 · est 2004
——£1.59M—21y8374y
TWEED FORUM LIMITED→
SC191466 · est 1998 · no financials extracted
————27y8373y
ALEX DALE LTD→
06486668 · est 2008
———218y8270y
ANDREW A PATTERSON & COMPANY LIMITED→
SC307225 · est 2006
——£1.68M—19y8272y
BEATON FORESTRY LIMITED→
SC340332 · est 2008
——£718.9k—18y8262y
C & M SYMONS LTD→
SC273115 · est 2004
———021y8274y
CRAILING TOFTS POTATOES LIMITED→
SC217999 · est 2001
——£5.93M—25y8294y
D. & D. W. D. THOMSON→
SC030287 · est 1954 · no financials extracted
————71y8282y
EAST RESTON LIMITED→
SC260202 · est 2003
——£1.51M—22y8273y
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
Incorporated1996-01-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500

Registered office

Swinwood Mill Farm
Reston, Eyemouth
Berwickshire
TD14 5JL

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-17
Last: 2025-12-03

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

MACGREGOR, Alison Jane→
secretary · appointed 2000-11-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACGREGOR, Alison→
director · ~60y · appointed 2020-10-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SCOUGAL, John Craig→
director · ~76y · appointed 1996-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FINLAY, George James→
secretary · appointed 1996-02-01 · resigned 2000-11-15
Resigned
REID, Brian→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1996-01-29 · resigned 1996-01-29
Resigned
FINLAY, George James→
director · ~87y · appointed 1996-02-01 · resigned 2001-05-24
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen→
nominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1996-01-29 · resigned 1996-01-29
Resigned
SCOUGAL, John Craig→
director · ~76y · appointed 1996-01-29 · resigned 1996-01-29
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property16/02/2007—
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Standard security1 property18/10/2005—
outstanding
Lombard North Central
Lombard North Central PLC
Standard security2 properties26/08/1997—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property22/06/199723/07/1997
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (86 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-09
replacement-filing-of-director-appointment-with-name
officers · RP01AP01
2026-01-09
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-12-23
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-31
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-03