DIRECT SLATING SUPPLIES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC181882 · ltd · incorporated 1998-01-02
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
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
—
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Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£2.81M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 23.4y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 23.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
75 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 £2,811,439
Cash YoY
+20%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£1.0m
↑ 20% YoY
Net Worth
£2.8m
↑ 11% YoY
Current Assets
£3.9m
↑ 17% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£776k£1.6m£2.3m£3.1m£3.9mMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£2.88M£2.66M
Current assets£3.88M£3.33M
Cash£1.03M£855.3k
Debtors£1.59M£1.28M
Net assets£2.81M£2.53M

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-10-10
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  3. 2025-10-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Peter Walker Duncan
  4. 2024-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-04-21
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  8. 2021-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-12-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-02-02
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2015-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-01-15
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2004-07-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2003-05-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  19. 2003-04-30
    ➖
    DONAGHY, Stephen Joseph Mcguire resigned
    secretary
  20. 2003-02-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Bibby Factors Scotland Limited
  21. 2000-01-01
    ➕
    HENDERSON, Arleen Margaret Campbell appointed
    secretary
  22. 1999-06-18
    ➖
    DONAGHY, Andrew resigned
    director
  23. 1998-01-05
    ➕
    DONAGHY, Stephen Joseph Mcguire appointed
    director
  24. 1998-01-05
    ➕
    DONAGHY, Stephen Joseph Mcguire appointed
    secretary
  25. 1998-01-05
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 1998-01-05
    ➕
    DONAGHY, Andrew appointed
    director
  27. 1998-01-05
    ➖
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 1998-01-05
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  29. 1998-01-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As DIRECT SLATING SUPPLIES LIMITED
  30. 1998-01-02
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  31. 1998-01-02
    ➕
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  32. 1998-01-02
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

93/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Stephen Joseph Mcguire Donaghy
Individual · British · DOB 02/1965 · age 61
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

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

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.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1998-01-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Old Broomridge Foundry
Glasgow Road, Denny Loanhead
Bonnybridge
Stirlingshire
FK4 1QG

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-16
Last: 2026-01-02

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

HENDERSON, Arleen Margaret Campbell→
secretary · appointed 2000-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DONAGHY, Stephen Joseph Mcguire→
director · ~61y · appointed 1998-01-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DONAGHY, Stephen Joseph Mcguire→
secretary · appointed 1998-01-05 · resigned 2003-04-30
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-01-02 · resigned 1998-01-05
Resigned
DONAGHY, Andrew→
director · ~59y · appointed 1998-01-05 · resigned 1999-06-18
Resigned
COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-01-02 · resigned 1998-01-05
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-01-02 · resigned 1998-01-05
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Peter Walker Duncan / Marion Graham Reid
A registered charge1 property01/10/2025—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property20/05/2003—
satisfied
Bibby Financial Services
Bibby Factors Scotland Limited
Floating charge1 property18/02/200329/07/2004
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (75 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-03
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-04-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-08