D E CAMPBELL LTD
💤Zombieactive
SC265822 · ltd · incorporated 2004-03-31
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 Aug 2024
Net worth
£101.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Painting
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 21.9y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
61 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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £101,261
Net assets shrinking
Down £382 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£101k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£141k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-08-31 | 2023-08-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £110.4k | £116.0k |
| Current assets | £140.5k | £141.6k |
| Cash | — | £40.3k |
| Debtors | £135.5k | £96.3k |
| Net assets | £101.3k | £101.6k |
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
9
filings
- • 4 persons-with-significant-control
- • 4 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-12-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-12-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-17📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-12-17📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-12-17📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-12-01➖FRASER, Jayne resignedsecretary
- 2025-12-01➖FRASER, Jayne resigneddirector
- 2025-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2004-06-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2004-03-31🏢Company incorporatedAs D E CAMPBELL LTD
- 2004-03-31➕CAMPBELL, Donald Edward appointeddirector
- 2004-03-31➕FRASER, Jayne appointedsecretary
- 2004-03-31➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-03-31➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-03-31➕FRASER, Jayne appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "CAMPBELL" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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 ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: FRASER, Jayne resigned 2025-12-01; FRASER, Jayne resigned 2025-12-01
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Donald Edward Campbell Individual · British · DOB 10/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Ms Jayne Fraserceased 01/12/2025· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Construction · IV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOILER AND VALVE ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC524752 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| CITY PAVING HIGHLANDS LIMITED→ SC501050 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| D MUNRO BUILDERS LTD→ SC852591 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DAVCAT ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD→ SC701201 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| DB RIGGING AND ACCESS LTD→ SC802722 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| DC PIPE INSPECTION SERVICES LTD→ SC466227 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| DICEY'S BAR LTD.→ SC266768 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| DONALD R MACLEOD JOINERY LIMITED→ SC444300 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| DONNAN SERVICES LTD→ SC822185 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DORNOCH PROPERTIES LIMITED→ SC776903 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| DPD CONTRACTING LTD→ SC866257 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DRS SCAFFOLDING LIMITED→ SC638093 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-03-31
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC43341 — Painting
Registered office
4th Floor Metropolitan House
31-33 High Street
Inverness
IV1 1HT
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last: 2025-12-17
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
CAMPBELL, Donald Edward→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2004-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FRASER, Jayne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-03-31 · resigned 2025-12-01
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-03-31 · resigned 2004-03-31
FRASER, Jayne→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 2004-03-31 · resigned 2025-12-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 16/06/2004 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (61 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-17
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-12-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-17
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-26