W M SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC249779 · ltd · incorporated 2003-05-20
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 Jul 2025
Net worth
£802.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 24100
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
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
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
64 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £802,669
Cash YoY
+58%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£704k
↑ 58% YoY
Net Worth
£803k
↑ 73% YoY
Current Assets
£1.2m
↑ 18% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£238k£475k£713k£950k£1.2mJul 2024Jul 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-07-312024-07-31
Total assets£820.8k£493.4k
Current assets£1.19M£1.01M
Cash£704.0k£446.0k
Debtors£481.4k£557.6k
Net assets£802.7k£465.2k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-04-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-09-23
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  7. 2021-09-23
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  8. 2021-04-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-04-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-04-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-12-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  14. 2016-06-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2015-12-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2009-12-04
    ➖
    BAILLIE, Joyce Mary resigned
    secretary
  17. 2008-04-18
    ➕
    CARSLAW, Christopher appointed
    director
  18. 2007-10-18
    ➖
    CARSLAW, William resigned
    director
  19. 2005-03-16
    ➕
    BAILLIE, Joyce Mary appointed
    secretary
  20. 2004-07-25
    ➖
    CARSLAW, Margaret resigned
    secretary
  21. 2003-05-20
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As W M SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LTD.
  22. 2003-05-20
    ➕
    CARSLAW, Margaret appointed
    secretary
  23. 2003-05-20
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2003-05-20
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2003-05-20
    ➕
    CARSLAW, William appointed
    director
  26. 2003-05-20
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  27. 2003-05-20
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

85/100
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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

68/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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.)

Group structure

Osprey Management Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Osprey Management Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
W M SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LTD.
This company · SC249779

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Osprey Management Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting11/12/2019
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Christopher Carslawceased 11/12/2019· 75-100% shares · 75-100% 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 →

Similar companies

Active · Manufacturing · ML postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
BSB STRUCTURAL LTD.→
SC277667 · est 2004
£13.76M
£10.70M–£16.82M
£20.18M—730021y8565y
BROWN MCFARLANE LIMITED→
SC121113 · est 1989
£6.25M
£4.87M–£7.64M
——9236y8760y
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£5.78M
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SC235088 · est 2002
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——4123y8762y
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£882.0k
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——66y8360y
PARKBURN PRECISION HANDLING SYSTEMS LIMITED→
SC158127 · est 1995
£570.0k
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——6830y8569y
CONSARC ENGINEERING LIMITED→
SC019918 · est 1937 · no financials extracted
————88y8379y
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SC317952 · est 2007
——£766.5k—19y8359y
GLENISLA KILTS LIMITED→
SC217626 · est 2001
——£63.7k—25y8374y
HUGH LOGAN PLANT & ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED→
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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
Incorporated2003-05-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC24100 — SIC 24100

Registered office

8 Douglas Street
Hamilton
ML3 0BP

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-03
Last: 2025-05-20

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

CARSLAW, Christopher→
director · ~41y · appointed 2008-04-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAILLIE, Joyce Mary→
secretary · appointed 2005-03-16 · resigned 2009-12-04
Resigned
CARSLAW, Margaret→
secretary · appointed 2003-05-20 · resigned 2004-07-25
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-05-20 · resigned 2003-05-20
Resigned
CARSLAW, William→
director · ~68y · appointed 2003-05-20 · resigned 2007-10-18
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-05-20 · resigned 2003-05-20
Resigned

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

Recent filings (64 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-20
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2021-09-23
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-02