EQ DESIGN LIMITED

⚰️Wound downdissolved

SC223407 · ltd · incorporated 2001-09-20

Investment thesis

Company dissolved — not a live target.

Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.

Why risky: Not transactable.

Why now

Window steady · low confidence

Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.

What changed my view

Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No material changes in the last 90 days.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

not disclosed

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

52/100

Worth a look

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Advertising agencies

Sector: Professional, scientific & technical

Investor take

Pass (distressed without resilience)

Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 52/100 (worth a look), bankability 50/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 64). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (53/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

Data confidence

Overall: low (48/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile

address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

No iXBRL financials extracted

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)

Director network

2 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

55 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

52/100Worth a look

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality

Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (38 events)Click to expand

2018-01-25
⚠️
gazette-dissolved-liquidation
gazette · GAZ2
2018-01-25
🏁
Company dissolved
2017-10-25
⚠️
liquidation-compulsory-return-of-final-meeting-scotland
insolvency · 4.17(Scot)
2016-01-21
⚠️
liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-scotland
insolvency · CO4.2(Scot)
2016-01-21
⚠️
liquidation-compulsory-winding-up-order-scotland
insolvency · 4.2(Scot)
2016-01-06
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2016-01-06
⚠️
liquidation-compulsory-appointment-provisional-liquidator-scotland
insolvency · 4.9(Scot)
2015-10-21
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-09-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2014-10-08
📄
second-filing-of-form-with-form-type-made-up-date
document-replacement · RP04
2014-10-02
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2014-09-30
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2014-09-08
➖
WINGFIELD, Karen resigned
director
2014-06-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2013-09-27
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2013-08-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2013-02-22
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name
officers · AP01
2013-02-11
➕
WINGFIELD, Karen appointed
director
2012-10-02
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2012-05-10
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2011-10-12
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2011-05-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2011-03-03
📄
termination-director-company-with-name
officers · TM01
2011-02-25
➖
BRAITHWAITE, Martin Iain Christopher resigned
director
2010-10-01
📄
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-08-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2010-03-01
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name
officers · AP01
2010-02-28
➕
BRAITHWAITE, Martin Iain Christopher appointed
director
2009-10-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2009-09-28
📄
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-02-01
➕
KEMP, Mark Gordon appointed
director
2006-04-01
➕
LEDINGHAM CHALMERS LLP appointed
corporate-secretary
2006-04-01
➖
LEDINGHAM CHALMERS resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2001-10-30
➕
SUTHERLAND, Gary John appointed
director
2001-10-30
➖
DURANO LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director
2001-09-20
🏢
Company incorporated
As EQ DESIGN LIMITED
2001-09-20
➕
LEDINGHAM CHALMERS appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2001-09-20
➕
DURANO LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

76/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

+Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

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 64. 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 25 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

2 high ·

Company dissolved

high

Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.

Evidence: Dissolved on 2018-01-25

5 insolvency-related filings on record

high

Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.

Evidence: 2018-01-25: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2017-10-25: liquidation-compulsory-return-of-final-meeting-scotland

🔒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 · EH postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
ROBERTSON EDUCATION (ABERDEENSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC209010 · est 2000	£5.47M £4.03M–£6.91M	—	—	0	26y	85	60y
DSF (2003) LIMITED→ SC144009 · est 1993	£4.70M £3.46M–£5.93M	—	—	7	33y	87	61y
NWH HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC303441 · est 2006	£3.67M £2.70M–£4.64M	—	—	373	20y	88	61y
BLYTH & BLYTH CONSULTING ENGINEERS LIMITED→ SC241155 · est 2002	£2.78M £2.05M–£3.52M	—	—	93	23y	87	85y
SIBCAS LIMITED→ SC052604 · est 1973	£1.88M £1.39M–£2.38M	—	—	165	53y	88	68y
HORIZON (GP) LIMITED→ SC493523 · est 2014	£45.2k £33.3k–£57.1k	—	—	6	11y	95	66y
3 ED HOLDINGS 2 LIMITED→ SC328040 · est 2007 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	19y	83	65y
ACCOUNTING & TAXATION SERVICE LTD→ SC360357 · est 2009 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	17y	83	58y
BRINDLEY ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ SC290803 · est 2005	—	—	—	1300	20y	83	59y
CALECON (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→ SC325563 · est 2007	—	—	—	0	19y	83	64y
CHASE SEARCH & SELECTION LIMITED→ SC180194 · est 1997 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	28y	83	66y
COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN ARCHITECTS LIMITED→ SC311114 · est 2006	—	—	—	43	19y	83	67y

Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →

🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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

Statusdissolved

Typeltd

Incorporated2001-09-20

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC73110 — Advertising agencies

Registered office

56 Palmerston Place

Edinburgh

EH12 5AY

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: —

Last made up to: 2014-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: —

Last: —

Officers (0 active · 4 resigned)

LEDINGHAM CHALMERS LLP→

corporate-secretary · appointed 2006-04-01

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

KEMP, Mark Gordon→

director · ~53y · appointed 2008-02-01

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

SUTHERLAND, Gary John→

director · ~64y · appointed 2001-10-30

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

LEDINGHAM CHALMERS→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-09-20 · resigned 2006-04-01

Resigned

BRAITHWAITE, Martin Iain Christopher→

director · ~48y · appointed 2010-02-28 · resigned 2011-02-25

Resigned

WINGFIELD, Karen→

director · ~61y · appointed 2013-02-11 · resigned 2014-09-08

Resigned

DURANO LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-09-20 · resigned 2001-10-30

Resigned

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

Recent filings (55 total)

gazette-dissolved-liquidation

gazette · GAZ2

2018-01-25

liquidation-compulsory-return-of-final-meeting-scotland

insolvency · 4.17(Scot)

2017-10-25

liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-scotland

insolvency · CO4.2(Scot)

2016-01-21

liquidation-compulsory-winding-up-order-scotland

insolvency · 4.2(Scot)

2016-01-21

change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address

address · AD01

2016-01-06

liquidation-compulsory-appointment-provisional-liquidator-scotland

insolvency · 4.9(Scot)

2016-01-06

annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders

annual-return · AR01

2015-10-21

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small

accounts · AA

2015-09-07

second-filing-of-form-with-form-type-made-up-date

document-replacement · RP04

2014-10-08

annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders

annual-return · AR01

2014-10-02

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2014-09-30

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small

accounts · AA

2014-06-16

annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders

annual-return · AR01

2013-09-27

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small

accounts · AA

2013-08-07

appoint-person-director-company-with-name

officers · AP01

2013-02-22