JOHN R ADAM & SONS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC271214 · ltd · incorporated 2004-07-27
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
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
89 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
82
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-29 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £7.38M |
| Current assets | — | £4.29M |
| Cash | — | £4.29M |
| Net assets | — | £7.35M |
| Average employees | 1 | — |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals 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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-08-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-05📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-29📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-29📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2023-06-12📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-06-12📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-06-02➖MCWATT, David Scott resignedsecretary
- 2023-06-02➖MCWATT, David Scott resigneddirector
- 2022-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-10📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2021-12-10📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2021-12-10📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2021-12-10📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2020-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-07➖WHITE, Alastair William Taylor resigneddirector
- 2020-10-07📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2009-08-18➕ADAM, Jake Scott appointeddirector
- 2004-08-10➕ADAM, John Robb appointeddirector
- 2004-08-10➕MCWATT, David Scott appointedsecretary
- 2004-08-10➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-08-10➕MCWATT, David Scott appointeddirector
- 2004-08-10➕WHITE, Alastair William Taylor appointeddirector
- 2004-08-10➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-07-27🏢Company incorporatedAs JOHN R ADAM & SONS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED
- 2004-07-27➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-07-27➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
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
- +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 "ADAM" — 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.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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 lowMultiple registered office changes
lowMultiple address changes in a short period can indicate operational instability or admin disorder.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Robb Adam Individual · British · DOB 05/1947 · age 79 | 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 · Professional services · PA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHAW'S LAW HOLDING LTD→ SC822262 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| SHERIDAN LEGAL SERVICES LTD→ SC868065 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SHIABA LTD→ SC385845 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| SICKBOY PRODUCTIONS LTD→ SC872718 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SIGHT AND HOUND ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC603631 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| SILSAFE LIMITED→ SC811777 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| SILVER STAG GROUP LTD→ SC874876 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SMCL ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC699938 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| SR MOTORHOMES LTD→ SC619117 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| STEALTH DIGITAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ SC552282 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| STEALTH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ SC678081 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| STEALTH IT CONSULTING LIMITED→ SC401672 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-07-27
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices
Registered office
Titanium 1 King's Inch Place
Renfrew
PA4 8WF
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-29
Last made up to: 2024-12-29
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-08
Last: 2025-07-25
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
ADAM, Jake Scott→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2009-08-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ADAM, John Robb→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 2004-08-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCWATT, David Scott→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-08-10 · resigned 2023-06-02
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-07-27 · resigned 2004-08-10
MCWATT, David Scott→
Resigneddirector · ~71y · appointed 2004-08-10 · resigned 2023-06-02
WHITE, Alastair William Taylor→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2004-08-10 · resigned 2020-10-07
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-07-27 · resigned 2004-08-10
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (89 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-08-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2025-08-13
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-11-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-29
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-25
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-06-12
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-06-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-group
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-15