D-I-Y AYRSHIRE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC304125 · ltd · incorporated 2006-06-16
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 2025
Net worth
£430.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 19.8y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 19.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · 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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
63 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £430,451
Net assets shrinking
Down £19,398 YoY
Cash YoY
-25%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£25k
↓ 25% YoY
Net Worth
£430k
↓ 4.3% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£90k£180k£270k£360k£450kJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£430.5k£449.8k
Cash£24.8k£33.1k
Net assets£430.5k£449.8k

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 mortgage
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-29
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  2. 2026-04-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  3. 2025-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2025-03-14
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  5. 2025-03-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Energyfarm UK Hare Craig LLP
  6. 2024-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-06-09
    ➖
    MILLS, Robert resigned
    director
  9. 2022-06-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-06-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2021-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-08-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-05-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-07-11
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  17. 2016-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2016-07-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  19. 2015-08-24
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  20. 2007-04-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2006-07-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2006-06-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As D-I-Y AYRSHIRE LIMITED
  23. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    MILLS, Theresa appointed
    secretary
  24. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    MILLS, Robert Brian appointed
    director
  25. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    COSEC LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2006-06-16
    ➖
    COSEC LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    MILLS, Robert appointed
    director
  28. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    CODIR LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  29. 2006-06-16
    ➖
    CODIR LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director
  30. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    COSEC LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  31. 2006-06-16
    ➖
    COSEC LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

93/100
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 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

78/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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 Robert Brian Mills
Individual · British · DOB 06/1965 · age 61
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 · Retail · KA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
J & W CARPETS LIMITED→
SC362931 · est 2009
£258.4k
£193.8k–£322.9k
——6716y8348y
KIRKMICHAEL VILLAGE RENAISSANCE→
SC376521 · est 2010
——£46.6k—16y8380y
MC STORES LIMITED→
SC387053 · est 2010
——£678.2k—15y8374y
QUEST FARM SUPPLIES LIMITED→
SC362924 · est 2009
——£2.06M—16y8359y
A.L. PAINT AND SUPPLIES LIMITED→
SC173153 · est 1997
——£973.9k—29y8274y
AGRI-INPUT DIRECT LIMITED→
SC207700 · est 2000
——£315.0k—25y8259y
AM SERVICE STATIONS LIMITED→
SC211245 · est 2000
———1325y8259y
ANDREW HUGHES CHEMISTS LIMITED→
SC205281 · est 2000
————26y8263y
BDC FUELS LIMITED→
SC229389 · est 2002
———210024y8267y
C MCCALLUM LIMITED→
SC264993 · est 2004
———3322y8263y
DIVINE & GIBSON LIMITED→
SC027260 · est 1949
——£1.29M—76y8269y
WELLINGTON GALLERY (KILMARNOCK) LIMITED→
SC267333 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————21y——
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
Incorporated2006-06-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47520 — Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores

Registered office

49 Townhead Street
Cumnock
Ayrshire
KA18 1LF

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last: 2025-06-16

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

MILLS, Theresa→
secretary · appointed 2006-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MILLS, Robert Brian→
director · ~61y · appointed 2006-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COSEC LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2006-06-16
Resigned
MILLS, Robert→
director · ~92y · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2022-06-09
Resigned
CODIR LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2006-06-16
Resigned
COSEC LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2006-06-16
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Energyfarm UK Hare Craig
Energyfarm UK Hare Craig LLP
A registered charge3 properties12/03/2025—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property17/04/2007—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property20/07/200629/04/2026
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (63 total)

mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-19
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-03-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-09
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-18