JAMES AND JENNIFER FAIRNIE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC471963 · ltd · incorporated 2014-03-10
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
£31.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -86% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
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
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
30 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £31,529
Cash draining
Cash down 86% YoY
Cash YoY
-86%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£4k
↓ 86% YoY
Net Worth
£32k
↑ 107% YoY
Current Assets
£12k
↓ 51% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £38.1k | £16.0k |
| Current assets | £12.5k | £25.6k |
| Cash | £3.5k | £25.6k |
| Debtors | £8.9k | — |
| Net assets | £31.5k | £15.3k |
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
3
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-03-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-13📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-12-03➕FAIRNIE, Jennifer Bruce appointeddirector
- 2019-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-13📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-09-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-11-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2014-03-10🏢Company incorporatedAs JAMES AND JENNIFER FAIRNIE LIMITED
- 2014-03-10➕FAIRNIE, James appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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 "FAIRNIE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Jennifer Bruce Fairnie Individual · British · DOB 10/1952 · age 74 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 11/03/2017 |
Mr James Fairnie Individual · British · DOB 05/1964 · age 62 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Trade services · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAPTER ONE PROPERTIES LIMITED→ SC829668 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CHARLIE MILLER HAIRDRESSING LIMITED→ SC252444 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| CHARLOTTE SQUARE COLLECTION LIMITED→ SC414112 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CHARLOTTE SQUARE MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ SC406347 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CHARWOOD TAVERNS LIMITED→ SC637335 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CHELTECH LTD→ SC837783 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CHERRY GARDENING LTD→ SC735232 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CHRISTINE ALISON LASER & SKIN CLINIC LTD→ SC777704 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CITADEL TEMPLE INVESTMENT LTD→ SC753253 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CITY BRIDES HAIR & MAKE-UP LTD→ SC480889 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| CJK 25 LTD→ SC767778 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CLEAN GEAR LAUNDRY SERVICES LTD→ SC700150 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2014-03-10
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
The Lighthouse
Heugh Road
North Berwick
EH39 5PX
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-24
Last: 2026-03-10
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
FAIRNIE, James→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2014-03-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FAIRNIE, Jennifer Bruce→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2019-12-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (30 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-24
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-03-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-16