LAIDLAWS NEWSAGENTS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC280773 · ltd · incorporated 2005-02-28
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 2025
Net worth
£31.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
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: Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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 (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
63 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
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 £31,627
Cash YoY
+9%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£35k
↑ 9.5% YoY
Net Worth
£32k
↑ 78% YoY
Current Assets
£63k
↑ 6.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£13k£25k£38k£51k£63kDec 2024Dec 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-12-312024-12-31
Total assets£31.6k£17.7k
Current assets£63.2k£59.3k
Cash£34.7k£31.7k
Debtors£138£100
Net assets£31.6k£17.7k

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
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-10-07
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  3. 2025-10-07
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  4. 2025-10-07
    📄
    withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
  5. 2025-07-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-08-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-09-07
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
    accounts · AA01
  8. 2023-05-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-05-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-05-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-03-10
    📄
    withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
  13. 2019-05-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-03-13
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2019-03-13
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2011-08-23
    ➕
    WATERSON, James Gerard appointed
    secretary
  17. 2011-08-23
    ➖
    LAIDLAW, David Andrew resigned
    secretary
  18. 2011-08-23
    ➖
    LAIDLAW, David Andrew resigned
    director
  19. 2011-08-23
    ➖
    LAIDLAW, Mark Francis resigned
    director
  20. 2011-07-27
    ➕
    HALL, Roslyn Ann appointed
    director
  21. 2011-07-27
    ➕
    WATERSON, James Gerard appointed
    director
  22. 2005-02-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As LAIDLAWS NEWSAGENTS LIMITED
  23. 2005-02-28
    ➕
    LAIDLAW, David Andrew appointed
    secretary
  24. 2005-02-28
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2005-02-28
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2005-02-28
    ➕
    LAIDLAW, David Andrew appointed
    director
  27. 2005-02-28
    ➕
    LAIDLAW, Mark Francis appointed
    director

Owner dependency

66/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

79/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr James Gerard Waterson
Individual · British · DOB 04/1963 · age 63
25–50%
—25-50% shares02/10/2025
Miss Roslyn Ann Hall
Individual · British · DOB 06/1966 · age 60
25–50%
—25-50% shares02/10/2025

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Retail · IV postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
MJO WELLBEING SERVICES LTD→
SC808620 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
MORAY LOCAL CIC→
SC661634 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
MORAY TRAINING CLUB LTD→
SC645565 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
MORE SHOPS LIMITED→
SC873883 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
MRD DESIGN FLOORS LIMITED→
SC622252 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————7y——
MSG NETWORK LTD.→
SC585545 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————8y——
MUTCH BETTER FOODS LIMITED→
SC247974 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
————23y——
MY DOCTOR’S RECIPE LTD→
SC534792 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
NAE BAD LIMITED→
SC656655 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————6y——
NANNY PINK'S LIMITED→
SC840079 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
NESS HARDWARE LTD→
SC707869 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
NEW START HIGHLAND ENTERPRISES LIMITED→
SC342494 · est 2008 · no financials extracted
————17y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated2005-02-28
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47110 — Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating

Registered office

95 Bruce Gardens
Inverness
IV3 5HF

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-27
Last: 2026-03-13

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

WATERSON, James Gerard→
secretary · appointed 2011-08-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HALL, Roslyn Ann→
director · ~60y · appointed 2011-07-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WATERSON, James Gerard→
director · ~63y · appointed 2011-07-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LAIDLAW, David Andrew→
secretary · appointed 2005-02-28 · resigned 2011-08-23
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-02-28 · resigned 2005-02-28
Resigned
LAIDLAW, David Andrew→
director · ~65y · appointed 2005-02-28 · resigned 2011-08-23
Resigned
LAIDLAW, Mark Francis→
director · ~70y · appointed 2005-02-28 · resigned 2011-08-23
Resigned

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

Recent filings (63 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-04-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-10-07
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-10-07
withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
2025-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-15
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-16