AYTON SMIDDY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC176408 · ltd · incorporated 1997-06-16
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
£365.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Special-situation opportunity
Distressed manufacturing with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 27.6y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 27.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (69/100)

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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 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
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
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
67
Some moderate concerns — review 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 £365,350

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£430k
Net Worth
£365k
Current Assets
£566k
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-06-30
Total assets£396.3k
Current assets£565.5k
Cash£430.3k
Debtors£135.2k
Net assets£365.4k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 2 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-11-18
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  3. 2025-01-09
    📄
    second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
    confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
  4. 2024-12-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-12-02
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2024-02-15
    ➖
    MCINTOSH, John Malcolm resigned
    director
  7. 2023-11-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-03-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-10-06
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  12. 2020-10-06
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  13. 2020-09-23
    ➕
    MCINTOSH, John Malcolm appointed
    director
  14. 2019-11-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-11-09
    📄
    legacy
    miscellaneous · RP04CS01
  16. 2018-11-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-11-07
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  18. 2017-11-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  19. 2014-07-30
    ➖
    SPENCE, George resigned
    secretary
  20. 1998-09-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  21. 1997-08-22
    ➕
    KIBBLE, Gordon Thomas appointed
    director
  22. 1997-08-22
    ➕
    SPENCE, George appointed
    secretary
  23. 1997-06-30
    ➖
    GILLESPIE, Sharon resigned
    secretary
  24. 1997-06-30
    ➖
    CURLE, Gareth resigned
    director
  25. 1997-06-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AYTON SMIDDY LIMITED
  26. 1997-06-16
    ➕
    GILLESPIE, Sharon appointed
    secretary
  27. 1997-06-16
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 1997-06-16
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 1997-06-16
    ➕
    CURLE, Gareth appointed
    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

90/100
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.

Red flags

1 high ·
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-04-30

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Gordon Thomas Kibble
Individual · British · DOB 06/1959 · age 67
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control30/06/2016

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
Incorporated1997-06-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC25110 — Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures

Registered office

Ayton Newburgh
Cupar
Fife
KY14 6JQ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-04-30OVERDUE
Last: 2025-04-16

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

KIBBLE, Gordon Thomas→
director · ~67y · appointed 1997-08-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GILLESPIE, Sharon→
secretary · appointed 1997-06-16 · resigned 1997-06-30
Resigned
SPENCE, George→
secretary · appointed 1997-08-22 · resigned 2014-07-30
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-06-16 · resigned 1997-06-16
Resigned
CURLE, Gareth→
director · ~69y · appointed 1997-06-16 · resigned 1997-06-30
Resigned
MCINTOSH, John Malcolm→
director · ~62y · appointed 2020-09-23 · resigned 2024-02-15
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
Floating charge1 property11/09/1998—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (72 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-16
change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
accounts · AA01
2025-11-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-16
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2025-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-12-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-12-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-03-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-12-22
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2020-10-06