JAMES-MORROW HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC235749 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-22
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 18.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£1.10M
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of audio and video equipment in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · oldest 18.8y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
76 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,103,246
Net assets shrinking
Down £79,699 YoY
Cash YoY
+4%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£377k
↑ 3.5% YoY
Net Worth
£1.1m
↓ 6.7% YoY
Current Assets
£1.2m
↑ 10% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.13M | £1.22M |
| Current assets | £1.19M | £1.08M |
| Cash | £376.7k | £363.9k |
| Debtors | £444.8k | £358.2k |
| Net assets | £1.10M | £1.18M |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-08-26📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2024-08-26📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-06-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-10-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-09-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-09-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-11-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2007-08-31🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2007-08-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2002-08-22🏢Company incorporatedAs JAMES-MORROW HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS LIMITED
- 2002-08-22➕MORROW, Nicholas Edward appointedsecretary
- 2002-08-22➕JAMES, Rupert John Elliot appointeddirector
- 2002-08-22➕MORROW, Nicholas Edward appointeddirector
- 2002-08-22➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-22➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
83/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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 "JAMES" — 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.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- 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 24 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
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Rupert John Elliot James Individual · British · DOB 11/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Nicholas Edward Morrow Individual · British · DOB 08/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Retail · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH BERWICK PO LTD→ SC815817 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| NOVANEXA LUXURY UK LIMITED→ SC878791 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NUDRAW PVT LTD→ SC857773 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NUTS ABOUT SEEDS LTD→ SC848405 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| OEHOBBY LTD→ SC777620 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| OH PILATES LTD→ SC850685 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| OKOROAFRO LIMITED→ SC777613 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ONE EIGHTY SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC817999 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ORIGIN SERVICES LTD→ SC641738 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ORIGINAL CASUALS LTD→ SC433326 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| OVEHEALTH LTD→ SC854242 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PATHHEAD SUPERMARKET LTD→ SC530606 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-08-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47430 — Retail sale of audio and video equipment in specialised stores
Registered office
Q Court
3 Quality Street
Edinburgh
EH4 5BP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-05
Last: 2025-08-22
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
MORROW, Nicholas Edward→
Activesecretary · appointed 2002-08-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JAMES, Rupert John Elliot→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2002-08-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MORROW, Nicholas Edward→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2002-08-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-08-22 · resigned 2002-08-22
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 15/11/2007 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 31/08/2007 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 09/08/2007 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (76 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-08-26
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-08-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-06-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-06-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-27