THE FERRY LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC333995 · ltd · incorporated 2007-11-15
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£-149.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Public houses and bars
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 76). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -78% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. 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
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
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 · FRS 102
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £149,057
Cash draining
Cash down 78% YoY
Cash YoY
-78%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£8k
↓ 78% YoY
Net Worth
-£149k
↓ 114% YoY
Current Assets
£44k
↓ 29% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
-£149k-£107k-£65k-£22k£20k£62kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£-117.5k£-35.0k
Current assets£43.9k£61.9k
Cash£7.7k£35.5k
Debtors£18.9k£8.9k
Net assets£-149.1k£-69.7k

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-10-24
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  4. 2024-10-24
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  5. 2023-08-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-11-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-10-28
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  8. 2021-10-28
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  9. 2021-10-25
    ➕
    GILLAN, Joseph Gordon appointed
    director
  10. 2021-10-25
    ➖
    KELLY, Jayne resigned
    director
  11. 2021-08-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-12-07
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  13. 2020-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-12-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-11-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  17. 2016-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2015-03-14
    ➖
    GILLAN, Joseph Gordon resigned
    secretary
  19. 2015-03-14
    ➖
    GILLAN, Joseph Gordon resigned
    director
  20. 2015-03-14
    ➕
    KELLY, Jayne appointed
    director
  21. 2015-01-30
    ➖
    BREE, Violet Elizabeth resigned
    director
  22. 2014-11-30
    ➕
    BREE, Violet Elizabeth appointed
    director
  23. 2014-10-20
    ➖
    TAYLOR, Frank resigned
    director
  24. 2007-11-15
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE FERRY LTD.
  25. 2007-11-15
    ➕
    GILLAN, Joseph Gordon appointed
    secretary
  26. 2007-11-15
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2007-11-15
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-secretary
  28. 2007-11-15
    ➕
    GILLAN, Joseph Gordon appointed
    director
  29. 2007-11-15
    ➕
    TAYLOR, Frank appointed
    director
  30. 2007-11-15
    ➕
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
    corporate-director
  31. 2007-11-15
    ➖
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

90/100
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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 76 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

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 Joseph Gordon Gillan
Individual · British · DOB 07/1950 · age 76
25–50%
—25-50% shares24/10/2024
Mrs Violet Elizabeth Bree
Individual · British · DOB 06/1947 · age 79
25–50%
—25-50% shares20/03/2020
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Jayne Kellyceased 24/10/2024· 25-50% shares

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 · Hospitality · G postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
CAFE ANDALUZ RESTAURANTS LIMITED→
SC390599 · est 2010
£8.71M
£6.53M–£10.88M
——29815y8767y
ENOTECA SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC327283 · est 2007
£8.47M
£6.35M–£10.59M
——21318y8367y
AN CLACHAN CAFE LIMITED→
SC313545 · est 2006
——£45.0k—19y8359y
CRAIGENDMUIR LIMITED→
SC258280 · est 2003
——£1.34M—22y8360y
D'ARCY'S (GLASGOW) LIMITED→
SC264250 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————22y8364y
DANNY'S SNACKS LIMITED→
SC338593 · est 2008 · no financials extracted
————18y8365y
DIXON ARMS (GLENROTHES) LIMITED→
SC325347 · est 2007 · no financials extracted
————18y8364y
JOHN MACLAREN AND SONS LIMITED→
SC291419 · est 2005
——£6.6k—20y8372y
KINGSRIDGE CLEDDANS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP→
SC133036 · est 1991 · no financials extracted
————34y8387y
LA LANTERNA GLASGOW LTD→
SC274833 · est 2004
———3221y8360y
LATHONES CARAVAN COMPANY LIMITED→
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MATTHEW'S FOODS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
SC210734 · est 2000
——£1.81M—25y8359y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated2007-11-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC56302 — Public houses and bars

Registered office

The Ferry
Anderston Quay
Glasgow
G3 8BX

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-30
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-28
Last: 2025-11-14

Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)

GILLAN, Joseph Gordon→
director · ~76y · appointed 2021-10-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GILLAN, Joseph Gordon→
secretary · appointed 2007-11-15 · resigned 2015-03-14
Resigned
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2007-11-15 · resigned 2007-11-15
Resigned
BREE, Violet Elizabeth→
director · ~79y · appointed 2014-11-30 · resigned 2015-01-30
Resigned
GILLAN, Joseph Gordon→
director · ~76y · appointed 2007-11-15 · resigned 2015-03-14
Resigned
KELLY, Jayne→
director · ~44y · appointed 2015-03-14 · resigned 2021-10-25
Resigned
TAYLOR, Frank→
director · ~74y · appointed 2007-11-15 · resigned 2014-10-20
Resigned
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
corporate-director · appointed 2007-11-15 · resigned 2007-11-15
Resigned

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

Recent filings (66 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-25
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-10-24
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-30
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-10-28
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-10-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-21