BRIAN MURRAY CATERING SERVICES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC190064 · ltd · incorporated 1998-10-01
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
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£293.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Event catering activities
Sector: Accommodation & food service
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

2 live charges · oldest 21.8y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (84/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
3 years of iXBRL accounts extracted + narrative notes parsed
95
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
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
70 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 £293,121
Cash YoY
+51%
Year on year

Key financials

3 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£24k
↑ 51% YoY
Net Worth
£293k
↑ 6.5% YoY
Current Assets
£50k
↑ 33% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£59k£117k£176k£234k£293kSept 2023Sept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-302023-09-30
Total assets£303.4k£293.3k£301.3k
Current assets£50.1k£37.8k£24.4k
Cash£23.6k£15.6k£16.0k
Debtors£26.2k£18.5k£3.2k
Net assets£293.1k£275.2k£272.9k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-06-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-04-15
    ➖
    GRAY & GRAY resigned
    corporate-secretary
  7. 2022-04-15
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  8. 2021-06-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-02-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-10-17
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  13. 2017-10-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  14. 2017-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-10-27
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2015-10-27
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2004-11-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  19. 2004-09-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  20. 1998-10-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BRIAN MURRAY CATERING SERVICES LIMITED
  21. 1998-10-01
    ➕
    MURRAY, Brian appointed
    director
  22. 1998-10-01
    ➕
    GRAY & GRAY appointed
    corporate-secretary
  23. 1998-10-01
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 1998-10-01
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 1998-10-01
    ➕
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 1998-10-01
    ➖
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resigned
    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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MURRAY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 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 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 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 Brian Murray
Individual · British · DOB 01/1959 · age 67
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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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SC191991 · est 1998
£5.84M
£4.38M–£7.30M
——027y8358y
SODEXO REMOTE SITES SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC059276 · est 1976
£2.17M
£1.63M–£2.71M
£26.24M—1860050y9058y
BRUDOLFF HOTELS LIMITED→
SC094745 · est 1985
£28.9k
£21.6k–£36.1k
——9140y9471y
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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
Incorporated1998-10-01
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC56210 — Event catering activities

Registered office

Take5 Cafeteria
Hareness Road Altens Industrial Estate
Aberdeen
AB12 3LE

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-13
Last: 2025-09-29

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

MURRAY, Brian→
director · ~67y · appointed 1998-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GRAY & GRAY→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1998-10-01 · resigned 2022-04-15
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-10-01 · resigned 1998-10-01
Resigned
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-10-01 · resigned 1998-10-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property04/11/200417/10/2017
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property23/09/2004—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (70 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-14
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-04-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-08