THISTLE CONSULTING LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC396565 · ltd · incorporated 2011-03-29
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£1.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
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: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (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).

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, 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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
37 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,564

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£2k
↑ 11% YoY
Current Assets
£61k
↑ 34% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£12k£24k£37k£49k£61kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£15.6k£18.0k
Current assets£61.1k£45.5k
Net assets£1.6k£1.4k

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 (19 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-12-17
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  6. 2021-12-17
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  7. 2021-12-17
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  8. 2021-11-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-07-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-09-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-09-09
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  12. 2019-09-09
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  13. 2018-12-06
    ➕
    MCILHINEY, Scott appointed
    director
  14. 2018-07-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-10-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2016-03-30
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2011-03-29
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THISTLE CONSULTING LIMITED
  19. 2011-03-29
    ➕
    MCILHINEY, Mary appointed
    director

Owner dependency

81/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 15 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

59/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple 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 15 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 15 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
Mrs Mary Mcilhiney
Individual · British · DOB 01/1977 · age 49
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016
Mr Scott Mcilhiney
Individual · British · DOB 12/1972 · age 54
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

Similar companies

Active · Trade services · G postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
MID GAVIN NURSERY LIMITED→
SC219812 · est 2001
£447.6k
£335.7k–£559.5k
£692.7k—210024y8478y
NISTAPLOX LIMITED→
SC180067 · est 1997
£38.8k
£29.1k–£48.6k
£26.9k—028y8679y
ACTIVE ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD.→
SC230311 · est 2002
——£1.56M—24y8360y
ADVARIAN PROPERTIES LTD→
SC248314 · est 2003
——£582.9k—23y8370y
AG (MANAGEMENT SERVICES) LTD→
SC339541 · est 2008
——£3.09M—18y8359y
AMG WARRANTIES LIMITED→
SC265646 · est 2004
———022y8374y
BELGICA UK LIMITED→
SC235052 · est 2002
——£1.81M—23y8362y
BILL'S TOOL STORE LIMITED→
SC365221 · est 2009
———130016y8358y
BLUE SQUARE OFFICES LTD.→
SC203991 · est 2000 · no financials extracted
————26y8365y
CAMSCAFF LTD.→
SC253590 · est 2003
——£556.7k—22y8361y
CENTRIFUGE MAINTENANCE SERVICES LIMITED→
SC173406 · est 1997
————29y8363y
CHAPPELL WHISKY BROKERS LIMITED→
SC180651 · est 1997
——£2.12M—28y8374y
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
Incorporated2011-03-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

19 Gullion Park East Kilbride
Glasgow
South Lanarkshire
G74 4FD
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-23
Last: 2025-05-09

Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)

MCILHINEY, Mary→
director · ~49y · appointed 2011-03-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCILHINEY, Scott→
director · ~54y · appointed 2018-12-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Recent filings (37 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-29
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-12-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-12-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-12-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-07-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-31