ELSICK DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | £91.5k | — |
| Net assets | £-20.55M | — |
| Average employees | — | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
3 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
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-20📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-06📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2016-09-14📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2016-09-13➕THE DUKE OF FIFE, David Charles Carnegie, His Grace appointedsecretary
- 2016-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-12-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2008-08-20🏢Company incorporatedAs ELSICK DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
- 2008-08-20➕THE DUCHESS OF FIFE, Caroline Anne, Her Grace appointeddirector
- 2008-08-20➕THE DUKE OF FIFE, David Charles Carnegie, His Grace appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. 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 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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
cleanGroup structure
Southesk Company Limited holds majority control (50-75%). Likely parent but not wholly-owned.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Southesk Company Limited Corporate entity | 50–75% | — | 50-75% shares | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Her Grace Caroline Anne The Duchess Of Fifeceased 01/11/2024· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
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