E & M HORSBURGH LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC205341 · ltd · incorporated 2000-03-22
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 24.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 49390
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 24.4y

70/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 24.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
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.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Apr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Average employees—7600

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 (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-25
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2024-03-25
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2024-01-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-01-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-01-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-01-23
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2017-01-20
    ➖
    GD CORPORATE SERVICES LTD resigned
    corporate-director
  15. 2016-03-30
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-01-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2013-03-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2012-10-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  19. 2012-08-20
    ➕
    GD CORPORATE SERVICES LTD appointed
    corporate-director
  20. 2001-12-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2000-03-22
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As E & M HORSBURGH LIMITED
  22. 2000-03-22
    ➕
    HORSBURGH, Mark Alexander appointed
    secretary
  23. 2000-03-22
    ➕
    HORSBURGH, Eric Mcleod appointed
    director
  24. 2000-03-22
    ➕
    HORSBURGH, Mark Alexander appointed
    director
  25. 2000-03-22
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2000-03-22
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

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
  • +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 "HORSBURGH" — 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 66 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
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 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Mark Alexander Horsburgh
Individual · British · DOB 05/1960 · age 66
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting07/04/2016
Mr Eric Mcleod Horsburgh
Individual · British · DOB 05/1963 · age 63
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting07/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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——£231.3k—15y8265y
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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
Incorporated2000-03-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49390 — SIC 49390

Registered office

180 Uphall Station Road
Pumpherston
Livingston
West Lothian
EH53 0PD

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-05
Last: 2026-03-22

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

HORSBURGH, Mark Alexander→
secretary · appointed 2000-03-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HORSBURGH, Eric Mcleod→
director · ~63y · appointed 2000-03-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HORSBURGH, Mark Alexander→
director · ~66y · appointed 2000-03-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-03-22 · resigned 2000-03-22
Resigned
GD CORPORATE SERVICES LTD→
corporate-director · appointed 2012-08-20 · resigned 2017-01-20
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
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Floating charge1 property04/10/2012—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property17/12/200112/03/2013
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
2026-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-25
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-24