MALVERN LEISURE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC173273 · ltd · incorporated 1997-03-07
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 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

1 live charge · oldest 28.6y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 28.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (59/100)

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
91 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.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-06-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-07-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-11-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-01-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-02-13
    📄
    change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH04
  10. 2018-01-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-08-22
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2016-08-22
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  14. 2016-08-22
    📄
    appoint-corporate-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP04
  15. 2016-08-16
    ➕
    ADDLESHAW GODDARD (SCOTLAND) SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  16. 2016-08-16
    ➖
    MCINTYRE, Alexander Stewart resigned
    secretary
  17. 2016-08-11
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  18. 2004-02-20
    ➖
    NEILLY, Gordon Joseph resigned
    director
  19. 1999-05-17
    ➖
    DOWDS, Cahal Michael resigned
    director
  20. 1999-05-17
    ➕
    NEILLY, Gordon Joseph appointed
    director
  21. 1999-01-25
    ➕
    MCINTYRE, Alexander Stewart appointed
    secretary
  22. 1999-01-25
    ➖
    TAINTON, Gordon resigned
    secretary
  23. 1997-09-30
    ➖
    O CARROLL, Aidan Vincent Michael resigned
    director
  24. 1997-09-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  25. 1997-09-18
    ➕
    DOWDS, Cahal Michael appointed
    director
  26. 1997-06-05
    ➕
    RUTHERFORD, Colin appointed
    director
  27. 1997-06-05
    ➕
    TAINTON, Gordon appointed
    secretary
  28. 1997-06-05
    ➖
    HBJ SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 1997-06-05
    ➕
    O CARROLL, Aidan Vincent Michael appointed
    director
  30. 1997-06-05
    ➖
    HENDERSON BOYD JACKSON LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  31. 1997-03-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MALVERN LEISURE LIMITED
  32. 1997-03-07
    ➕
    HBJ SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  33. 1997-03-07
    ➕
    HENDERSON BOYD JACKSON LIMITED appointed
    corporate-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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — 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 67. 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 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Colin Rutherford
Individual · British · DOB 02/1959 · age 67
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting30/06/2016

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

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
Incorporated1997-03-07
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC93290 — Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Exchange Tower, 19 Canning Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8EH
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-25
Last: 2026-02-11

Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)

ADDLESHAW GODDARD (SCOTLAND) SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2016-08-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
RUTHERFORD, Colin→
director · ~67y · appointed 1997-06-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCINTYRE, Alexander Stewart→
secretary · appointed 1999-01-25 · resigned 2016-08-16
Resigned
TAINTON, Gordon→
secretary · appointed 1997-06-05 · resigned 1999-01-25
Resigned
HBJ SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-03-07 · resigned 1997-06-05
Resigned
DOWDS, Cahal Michael→
director · ~67y · appointed 1997-09-18 · resigned 1999-05-17
Resigned
NEILLY, Gordon Joseph→
director · ~66y · appointed 1999-05-17 · resigned 2004-02-20
Resigned
O CARROLL, Aidan Vincent Michael→
director · ~70y · appointed 1997-06-05 · resigned 1997-09-30
Resigned
HENDERSON BOYD JACKSON LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-03-07 · resigned 1997-06-05
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property23/09/1997—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (91 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-06-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-11-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-02-26