MERSE & COMPANY LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC195982 · ltd · incorporated 1999-05-05
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 Apr 2025
Net worth
£647.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 72-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 72). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 1 with DOB)
73
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
69 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £647,321
Cash YoY
+1282%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£401k
↑ 1282% YoY
Net Worth
£647k
↑ 13% YoY
Current Assets
£679k
↑ 18% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £649.1k | £575.5k |
| Current assets | £679.0k | £576.1k |
| Cash | £401.4k | £29.0k |
| Debtors | £20.6k | £69.7k |
| Net assets | £647.3k | £572.3k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals 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 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-09➖ALDLEX LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2025-12-09📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-02-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-09📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-01-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-05-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2004-11-19➕ALDLEX LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-11-19➖ARUNLEX LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2002-04-23➖JENKINSON, Miranda Jane resignedsecretary
- 1999-09-22➖ARUNLEX LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1999-05-06➕JENKINSON, Dermot Julian appointeddirector
- 1999-05-05🏢Company incorporatedAs MERSE & COMPANY LIMITED
- 1999-05-05➕JENKINSON, Miranda Jane appointedsecretary
- 1999-05-05➕ARUNLEX LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 1999-05-05➕PEACHEY & CO appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-05-05➖PEACHEY & CO resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-05-05➕ARUNLEX LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 72 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 27 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Dermot Julian Jenkinson Individual · British · DOB 12/1954 · age 72 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 05/05/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · TD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROBERTSON MANAGING CONSULTANTS LTD→ 09847373 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ROXBURGHHR LIMITED→ 14078778 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SALTERS PUBLISHING LIMITED→ 09863929 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| SANDERSON MCCREATH & EDNEY LIMITED→ 07931538 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| SCOTIA OFFSHORE SURVEY LTD→ SC542031 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| SG MATRIX LIMITED→ 05146230 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| SINGLE PLANET SOLUTIONS LTD→ 08326883 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| T.S.A INSPECTION SERVICES LIMITED→ 11703934 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| TELOS SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 04268643 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| THE ENGLISH WHISKY GUILD→ 13140791 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| THE PEACOCK OFFICE LIMITED→ 07761372 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| THE SYNAPTIC-SPARK FACTORY LIMITED→ 09108005 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1999-05-05
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Registered office
Kames East Mains Estate Office
Leitholm
Coldstream
Berwickshire
TD12 4JW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-19
Last: 2026-05-05
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
JENKINSON, Dermot Julian→
Activedirector · ~72y · appointed 1999-05-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JENKINSON, Miranda Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-05-05 · resigned 2002-04-23
ALDLEX LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2004-11-19 · resigned 2025-12-09
ARUNLEX LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 1999-05-05 · resigned 2004-11-19
PEACHEY & CO→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-05-05 · resigned 1999-05-05
ARUNLEX LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-05-05 · resigned 1999-09-22
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (69 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-11
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-12-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-10-22