JAMES BAIN & CO. LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC202110 · ltd · incorporated 1999-12-03
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£139.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Accounting and auditing activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. 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 · 2 lenders · oldest 16.0y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 16.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

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

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
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 £139,661
Net assets shrinking
Down £14,860 YoY
Cash YoY
-9%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£50k
↓ 9.4% YoY
Net Worth
£140k
↓ 9.6% YoY
Current Assets
£111k
↓ 17% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£31k£62k£93k£124k£155kMar 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£155.6k£175.5k
Current assets£111.3k£133.8k
Cash£50.3k£55.5k
Debtors£42.1k£62.7k
Net assets£139.7k£154.5k

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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-11-01
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  7. 2021-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-10-30
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  10. 2019-10-30
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  11. 2019-10-30
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2019-08-31
    ➖
    BAIN, Barbara resigned
    secretary
  13. 2019-08-31
    ➖
    BAIN, Barbara resigned
    director
  14. 2018-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2012-12-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  18. 2010-04-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  19. 2004-03-01
    ➕
    BAIN, Barbara appointed
    director
  20. 2000-06-20
    ➕
    BAIN, James Leslie appointed
    director
  21. 2000-06-20
    ➕
    BAIN, Barbara appointed
    secretary
  22. 1999-12-03
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As JAMES BAIN & CO. LTD.
  23. 1999-12-03
    ➕
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 1999-12-03
    ➖
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 1999-12-03
    ➕
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 1999-12-03
    ➖
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  27. 1999-12-03
    ➕
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SERVICES LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 1999-12-03
    ➖
    PETER TRAINER COMPANY SERVICES LTD. 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 "BAIN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 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 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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 James Leslie Bain
Individual · British · DOB 06/1959 · age 67
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control18/11/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Barbara Bainceased 31/08/2019· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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

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
Incorporated1999-12-03
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC69201 — Accounting and auditing activities

Registered office

16 Melville Terrace
Stirling
Stirlingshire
FK8 2NE

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-08
Last: 2026-03-25

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

BAIN, James Leslie→
director · ~67y · appointed 2000-06-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAIN, Barbara→
secretary · appointed 2000-06-20 · resigned 2019-08-31
Resigned
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-12-03 · resigned 1999-12-03
Resigned
BAIN, Barbara→
director · ~65y · appointed 2004-03-01 · resigned 2019-08-31
Resigned
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-12-03 · resigned 1999-12-03
Resigned
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SERVICES LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-12-03 · resigned 1999-12-03
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
Floating charge1 property20/12/2012—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Floating charge1 property26/04/2010—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (70 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-12-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-01
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-12-24