MARCHWOOD ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC250668 · ltd · incorporated 2003-06-05
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 Jan 2026
Net worth
£1.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Accounting and auditing activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 69202Bookkeeping activities
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 57). 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 15.4y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 15.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 1 with DOB)
73
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
71 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 · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,893
Net assets shrinking
Down £473 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£2k
↓ 20% YoY
Current Assets
£8k
↓ 10% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£2k£3k£5k£7k£9kJan 2025Jan 2026

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2026-01-312025-01-31
Total assets£1.9k£5.0k
Current assets£7.7k£8.6k
Net assets£1.9k£2.4k

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
3
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2026-01-04
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2026-01-04
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2025-02-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-02-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-02-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-07-25
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2022-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-02-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-01-15
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  12. 2020-01-15
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  13. 2020-01-08
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  14. 2020-01-08
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  15. 2019-04-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-10-30
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  17. 2018-10-30
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  18. 2018-02-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2011-04-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
  20. 2011-01-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
  21. 2008-06-28
    ➖
    BAIRD, Alan resigned
    secretary
  22. 2008-06-07
    ➕
    BAIRD, Alan appointed
    secretary
  23. 2008-06-07
    ➖
    BAIRD, James resigned
    secretary
  24. 2006-10-03
    ➕
    BAIRD, James appointed
    secretary
  25. 2006-10-03
    ➖
    PORTER, Ann Marie resigned
    secretary
  26. 2003-06-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MARCHWOOD ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES LIMITED
  27. 2003-06-05
    ➕
    BAIRD, Alan William appointed
    director
  28. 2003-06-05
    ➕
    PORTER, Ann Marie appointed
    secretary
  29. 2003-06-05
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2003-06-05
    ➖
    FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  31. 2003-06-05
    ➕
    FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  32. 2003-06-05
    ➖
    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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alan William Baird
Individual · Scottish · DOB 10/1969 · age 57
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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 · Professional services · EH postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES EDINBURGH LIMITED→
SC091725 · est 1985
£131.60M
£96.97M–£166.24M
£135.39M—13590041y8567y
ROBERTSON EDUCATION (ABERDEENSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC209010 · est 2000
£5.47M
£4.03M–£6.91M
——025y8560y
DSF (2003) LIMITED→
SC144009 · est 1993
£4.70M
£3.46M–£5.93M
——733y8761y
FCC (EAST AYRSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC300470 · est 2006
£3.99M
£2.94M–£5.03M
——020y8760y
NWH HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC303441 · est 2006
£3.67M
£2.70M–£4.64M
——37319y8861y
BLYTH & BLYTH CONSULTING ENGINEERS LIMITED→
SC241155 · est 2002
£2.78M
£2.05M–£3.52M
——9323y8785y
SIBCAS LIMITED→
SC052604 · est 1973
£1.88M
£1.39M–£2.38M
——16553y8868y
HORIZON (GP) LIMITED→
SC493523 · est 2014
£45.2k
£33.3k–£57.1k
——611y9566y
BURNDENE INVESTMENTS LIMITED→
SC015613 · est 1929
£14.3k
£10.5k–£18.0k
——096y8363y
3 ED HOLDINGS 2 LIMITED→
SC328040 · est 2007 · no financials extracted
————18y8365y
ABACUS FINANCIAL MARKETING LIMITED→
SC197503 · est 1999
——£3.4k—26y8359y
ACCOUNTING & TAXATION SERVICE LTD→
SC360357 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
————17y8358y
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
Incorporated2003-06-05
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC69201 — Accounting and auditing activities

Registered office

The Old Bakehouse
77a High Street
Linlithgow
West Lothian
EH49 7ED
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-10-31
Last made up to: 2026-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-19
Last: 2025-06-05

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

BAIRD, Alan William→
director · ~57y · appointed 2003-06-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAIRD, Alan→
secretary · appointed 2008-06-07 · resigned 2008-06-28
Resigned
BAIRD, James→
secretary · appointed 2006-10-03 · resigned 2008-06-07
Resigned
PORTER, Ann Marie→
secretary · appointed 2003-06-05 · resigned 2006-10-03
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-06-05 · resigned 2003-06-05
Resigned
FIRST SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-06-05 · resigned 2003-06-05
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property11/04/201115/01/2020
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property22/01/201108/01/2020

Recent filings (71 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-11