E & J DOUGLAS & SONS LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC370481 · ltd · incorporated 2009-12-22
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 8.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£472.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 8.1y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 8.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £472,212
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£133k
Net Worth
£472k
Current Assets
£1.2m
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.78M | — |
| Current assets | £1.20M | — |
| Cash | £133.5k | — |
| Debtors | £1.01M | — |
| Net assets | £472.2k | — |
| Average employees | — | 3000 |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-07📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-07📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-11-27➖DOUGLAS, Edith resigneddirector
- 2025-02-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-03-30📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-03-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-03-13🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited
- 2018-04-05🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2018-03-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2011-01-23➖DOUGLAS, John resigneddirector
- 2009-12-22🏢Company incorporatedAs E & J DOUGLAS & SONS LTD
- 2009-12-22➕DOUGLAS, Ian Samuel appointeddirector
- 2009-12-22➕DOUGLAS, Paul appointeddirector
- 2009-12-22➕DOUGLAS, Edith appointeddirector
- 2009-12-22➕DOUGLAS, John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
91/100
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 "DOUGLAS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
59/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 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
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul Douglas Individual · British · DOB 05/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 07/01/2026 |
Mr Ian Samuel Douglas Individual · British · DOB 08/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 01/03/2021 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Edith Douglasceased 01/03/2021· 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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLEAN SCENE LTD→ SC601108 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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| CUPAR ONLINE SECURITY LTD→ SC730737 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| DDL TIMBER PACKAGING LIMITED→ SC676267 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DEARS PROPERTY LTD→ SC633033 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| DREAM CLEAN (WB) LTD→ SC788161 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| DRUMOIG TURF MAINTENANCE LIMITED→ SC232111 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| DUFFY’S DIAMONDS LTD→ SC838832 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DVS CONTRACTS LIMITED→ SC546643 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| EAST NEUK CLEANERS LTD→ SC698959 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EAST NEUK LAUNDRETTE LTD→ SC712439 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EASTGATE OFFICE CENTRE MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ SC532229 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2009-12-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Cartmore Industrial Estate
Cartmore Industrial Estate
Lochgelly
KY5 8LL
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-12
Last: 2026-03-29
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
DOUGLAS, Ian Samuel→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2009-12-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DOUGLAS, Paul→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2009-12-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DOUGLAS, Edith→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2009-12-22 · resigned 2025-11-27
DOUGLAS, John→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2009-12-22 · resigned 2011-01-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited | A registered charge | — | 13/03/2020 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 05/04/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 14/03/2018 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (61 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-29
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-07
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-07
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-01-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-31
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-11-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-21