LAWRIE & SON (RFC) LIMITED
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · IFRS| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 400 | — |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-31📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-07-31📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-15📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-05-12➕LAWRIE, Douglas John appointeddirector
- 2022-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-07-21📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 1999-07-12🏢Company incorporatedAs LAWRIE & SON (RFC) LIMITED
- 1999-07-12➕LAWRIE, Rosemary June appointedsecretary
- 1999-07-12➕LAWRIE, James appointeddirector
- 1999-07-12➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-07-12➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LAWRIE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — LAWRIE, Douglas John (same surname) appointed 2023-05-12. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Lawrie Individual · British · DOB 08/1943 · age 83 | 75–100% | 50–75% | board controlsig. influence75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · significant influence | 12/07/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.