ETTRICKBURN LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC520211 · ltd · incorporated 2015-11-12
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
£140.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Public relations and communications activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
43 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 £140,764
Cash YoY
+131%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£72k
↑ 131% YoY
Net Worth
£141k
↑ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£213k
↑ 39% 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 | £140.8k | £118.2k |
| Current assets | £212.6k | £152.7k |
| Cash | £71.8k | £31.1k |
| Debtors | £140.8k | £121.6k |
| Net assets | £140.8k | £118.2k |
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
4
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 address
Last 180 days
5
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-10📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-10📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2026-02-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-02-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-12-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-12-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-07📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2019-11-21📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-07-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-10📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2018-12-31➖FERGUSON, Jane Alexandra resigneddirector
- 2017-11-01➕FERGUSON, Jane Alexandra appointeddirector
- 2015-11-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ETTRICKBURN LIMITED
- 2015-11-12➕MACGILL, Sarah Jane appointedsecretary
- 2015-11-12➕MACGILL, John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
83/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
70/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Macgill Individual · British · DOB 07/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Jane Alexandra Fergusonceased 31/12/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control
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 · Professional services · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FARRER MARKETING LIMITED→ SC546449 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| FARRPOINT LIMITED→ SC296299 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| FAST ACTION PAY LIMITED→ SC739139 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| FB ACTUARIAL AND BUSINESS CONSULTING LTD→ SC695658 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FERGUSSON LAW & CO (EDINBURGH) LTD→ SC744888 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| FERLIEHALD LTD→ SC771415 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FINALTY SERVICES LIMITED→ SC416514 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| FINOPSYS LIMITED→ SC778277 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FINTEC RECRUIT LTD→ SC864286 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FIONA HARVEY CONSULTING LIMITED→ SC871813 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FÌOR FINANCIAL LTD→ SC853511 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FIOS GENOMICS LIMITED→ SC341432 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-11-12
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70210 — Public relations and communications activities
Registered office
28 Rutland Square
Edinburgh
EH1 2BW
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-06
Last: 2025-11-22
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
MACGILL, Sarah Jane→
Activesecretary · appointed 2015-11-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MACGILL, John→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2015-11-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FERGUSON, Jane Alexandra→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2017-11-01 · resigned 2018-12-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (43 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-10
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-02-10
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-02-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-08-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-06-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-08-13