MARCHDALE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC396697 · ltd · incorporated 2011-03-30
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
£71.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46140
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -69% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
40 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £71,678
Net assets shrinking
Down £5,110 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 69% YoY
Cash YoY
-69%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£6k
↓ 69% YoY
Net Worth
£72k
↓ 6.7% YoY
Current Assets
£71k
↓ 17% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£17k£34k£51k£68k£85kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£71.7k£85.4k
Current assets£70.6k£85.1k
Cash£6.0k£19.3k
Debtors£64.6k£65.8k
Net assets£71.7k£76.8k

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 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-08-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-09-13
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  7. 2021-09-13
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2021-09-13
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2021-09-13
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  10. 2021-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-04-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  13. 2018-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-04-03
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  16. 2011-04-06
    ➕
    CATTO, Gavin appointed
    director
  17. 2011-04-06
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-secretary
  18. 2011-04-06
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen George resigned
    director
  19. 2011-03-30
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MARCHDALE LIMITED
  20. 2011-03-30
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-secretary
  21. 2011-03-30
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen George appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
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 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

98/100
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 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • 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
Mr Gavin Catto
Individual · British · DOB 06/1947 · age 79
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016
Mrs Christine Catto
Individual · British · DOB 12/1953 · age 73
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016

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

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JOHN DAVIDSON (PIPES) LIMITED→
SC050397 · est 1972
£15.21M
£11.41M–£19.01M
£79.83M—2500054y8361y
QUALITY FOOD PRODUCTS (ABERDEEN) LIMITED→
SC046323 · est 1969
£7.30M
£5.48M–£9.13M
——6757y8359y
S&JD ROBERTSON NORTH AIR LIMITED→
SC051614 · est 1972
£5.85M
£4.39M–£7.31M
——3510053y8359y
KEITH BUILDERS MERCHANTS LIMITED→
SC217157 · est 2001
£155.6k
£116.7k–£194.6k
——3925y8458y
APEX TUBULARS LIMITED→
SC331461 · est 2007
———60018y8363y
GPH BUILDERS MERCHANTS LIMITED→
SC378341 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————15y8371y
SEAFOOD TRADERS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→
SC223363 · est 2001
———900024y8378y
ABERDEEN OFFICE SUPPLIES LIMITED→
SC238550 · est 2002
——£59.2k—23y8267y
CABER COFFEE LIMITED→
SC329912 · est 2007
——£593.6k—18y8283y
CRAIGIEVAR TIMBER LIMITED→
SC357720 · est 2009
——£227.4k—17y8274y
THE SPEYSIDE WHISKY SHOP LIMITED→
SC715550 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
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———————
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
Incorporated2011-03-30
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46140 — SIC 46140

Registered office

6 Market Square
Oldmeldrum
Inverurie
Aberdeenshire
AB51 0AA
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-13
Last: 2026-03-30

Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)

CATTO, Gavin→
director · ~79y · appointed 2011-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2011-03-30 · resigned 2011-04-06
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen George→
director · ~76y · appointed 2011-03-30 · resigned 2011-04-06
Resigned

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

Recent filings (40 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-29
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-09-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-09-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-09-13
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-03