MCDONALD & SONS (BAKERS) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC213888 · ltd · incorporated 2000-12-15
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 24.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£1.49M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of bread; manufacture of fresh pastry goods and cakes
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 47240Retail sale of bread, cakes, flour confectionery and sugar confectionery in specialised stores
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

5 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 24.8y

70/100
ready

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 24.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
81 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £1,492,245
Cash YoY
+5%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£583k
↑ 5.2% YoY
Net Worth
£1.5m
~ YoY
Current Assets
£604k
↑ 3.8% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£298k£597k£895k£1.2m£1.5mMar 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£1.54M£1.54M
Current assets£604.0k£581.8k
Cash£583.1k£554.2k
Debtors£8.9k£16.1k
Net assets£1.49M£1.48M

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-07-27
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  6. 2022-07-27
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  7. 2022-07-27
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  8. 2022-07-27
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  9. 2022-07-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  10. 2022-07-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  11. 2022-07-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  12. 2022-07-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  13. 2022-01-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2020-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-10-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-11-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2017-11-15
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AAMD
  19. 2017-11-15
    📄
    accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AAMD
  20. 2015-05-06
    ➖
    MCDONALD, Martin resigned
    director
  21. 2013-12-16
    ➕
    MCDONALD, Paul Andrew appointed
    director
  22. 2013-12-16
    ➕
    MCDONALD, Martin appointed
    director
  23. 2013-05-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Aib Group (UK) PLC
  24. 2013-05-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Aib Group (UK) PLC
  25. 2011-11-07
    ➖
    MCDONALD, Joseph resigned
    secretary
  26. 2011-11-07
    ➖
    MCDONALD, Joseph resigned
    director
  27. 2008-03-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  28. 2008-02-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Aib Group (UK) PLC
  29. 2008-02-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Aib Group (UK) PLC
  30. 2003-07-07
    ➖
    MCDONALD, George Martin resigned
    secretary
  31. 2003-07-07
    ➕
    MCDONALD, Joseph appointed
    secretary
  32. 2003-07-07
    ➖
    MCDONALD, George Martin resigned
    director
  33. 2002-09-26
    ➕
    MCDONALD, Joseph appointed
    director
  34. 2002-09-26
    ➕
    MCDONALD, George Martin appointed
    director
  35. 2001-07-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  36. 2001-01-15
    ➕
    MCDONALD, George Martin appointed
    secretary
  37. 2001-01-15
    ➖
    MCLAREN, James resigned
    secretary
  38. 2000-12-15
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MCDONALD & SONS (BAKERS) LIMITED
  39. 2000-12-15
    ➕
    MCLAREN, James appointed
    secretary
  40. 2000-12-15
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  41. 2000-12-15
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  42. 2000-12-15
    ➕
    MCDONALD, Joseph appointed
    director

Owner dependency

99/100
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 "MCDONALD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

76/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Joseph Mcdonald
Individual · British · DOB 02/1965 · age 61
25–50%
25–50%board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control06/04/2016
Mr Paul Andrew Mcdonald
Individual · British · DOB 05/1970 · age 56
25–50%
25–50%board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

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———————
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated2000-12-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC10710 — Manufacture of bread; manufacture of fresh pastry goods and cakes

Registered office

278 Drumoyne Road
Glasgow
Lanarkshire
G51 4BH

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-29
Last: 2025-12-15

Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)

MCDONALD, Joseph→
director · ~61y · appointed 2002-09-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCDONALD, Paul Andrew→
director · ~56y · appointed 2013-12-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCDONALD, George Martin→
secretary · appointed 2001-01-15 · resigned 2003-07-07
Resigned
MCDONALD, Joseph→
secretary · appointed 2003-07-07 · resigned 2011-11-07
Resigned
MCLAREN, James→
secretary · appointed 2000-12-15 · resigned 2001-01-15
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-12-15 · resigned 2000-12-15
Resigned
MCDONALD, George Martin→
director · ~64y · appointed 2002-09-26 · resigned 2003-07-07
Resigned
MCDONALD, Joseph→
director · ~93y · appointed 2000-12-15 · resigned 2011-11-07
Resigned
MCDONALD, Martin→
director · ~64y · appointed 2013-12-16 · resigned 2015-05-06
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

5
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Aib Group (UK)
Aib Group (UK) PLC
A registered charge1 property20/05/201327/07/2022
satisfied
Aib Group (UK)
Aib Group (UK) PLC
A registered charge2 properties20/05/201327/07/2022
satisfied
Aib Group (UK)
Aib Group (UK) PLC
Standard security1 property27/02/200827/07/2022
satisfied
Aib Group (UK)
Aib Group (UK) PLC
Floating charge1 property13/02/200827/07/2022
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property12/07/200104/03/2008

Recent filings (81 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-15
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-07-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-07-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-07-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-07-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-18