THORLEY STEPHENSON LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC541921 · ltd · incorporated 2016-08-04
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Aug 2025
Net worth
£428
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Solicitors
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -67% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 8.4y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 8.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 8 with DOB)
90
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
36 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
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £428
Net assets shrinking
Down £12,882 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 67% YoY
Cash YoY
-67%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£7k
↓ 67% YoY
Net Worth
£428
↓ 97% YoY
Current Assets
£49k
↓ 26% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£13k£27k£40k£53k£67kAug 2024Aug 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-08-312024-08-31
Total assets£428£25.5k
Current assets£49.4k£66.8k
Cash£7.3k£21.9k
Debtors£42.1k£44.9k
Net assets£428£13.3k

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-10-17
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-09-30
    ➖
    STEPHENSON, James Patrick resigned
    director
  4. 2025-09-24
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2025-09-24
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  6. 2025-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-08-14
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  9. 2023-06-06
    ➖
    TURNER, Lesley-Ann resigned
    director
  10. 2023-03-15
    ➕
    STEPHENSON, James Patrick appointed
    director
  11. 2023-03-15
    ➕
    TURNER, Lesley-Ann appointed
    director
  12. 2023-03-15
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  13. 2023-03-15
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2023-03-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2023-03-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2023-03-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  17. 2023-03-03
    ➖
    CONROY, Nicole resigned
    director
  18. 2023-03-03
    ➖
    GOSNEY, Euan resigned
    director
  19. 2023-03-03
    ➖
    STORRIE, David resigned
    director
  20. 2022-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  21. 2022-06-24
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  22. 2021-12-23
    ➖
    CONWAY, Nyree resigned
    director
  23. 2021-12-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  24. 2021-05-03
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  25. 2021-05-03
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  26. 2021-04-30
    ➖
    STEPHENSON, James Patrick resigned
    director
  27. 2021-04-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  28. 2021-01-06
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  29. 2021-01-01
    ➕
    CONROY, Nicole appointed
    director
  30. 2018-02-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  31. 2017-09-01
    ➕
    STORRIE, David appointed
    director
  32. 2016-08-04
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THORLEY STEPHENSON LIMITED
  33. 2016-08-04
    ➕
    THORLEY, Mark Richard appointed
    director
  34. 2016-08-04
    ➕
    CONWAY, Nyree appointed
    director
  35. 2016-08-04
    ➕
    GOSNEY, Euan appointed
    director
  36. 2016-08-04
    ➕
    STEPHENSON, James Patrick appointed
    director

Owner dependency

98/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "THORLEY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple 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.

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

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Mark Richard Thorley
Individual · British · DOB 04/1963 · age 63
25–50%
—25-50% shares04/08/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr James Patrick Stephensonceased 30/04/2021· 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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AYRSHIRE ALUMINIUM CO. LIMITED→
SC075647 · est 1981
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——044y8261y
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———70037y8367y
AUSTIN LAFFERTY LIMITED→
SC277684 · est 2004
——£745.0k—21y8362y
CYCLERATE LIMITED→
SC334375 · est 2007
————18y8358y
WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC201429 · est 1999 · no financials extracted
————26y8359y
WEST COAST CAPITAL (RETAIL PARKS) LIMITED→
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———025y8377y
WEST COAST CAPITAL HOLDINGS LIMITED→
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———227y8377y
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——£2—20y8377y
ADAM WILSON & SONS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→
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————24y8286y
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———223y8265y
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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
Incorporated2016-08-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC69102 — Solicitors

Registered office

37 Portland Road
Kilmarnock
Ayrshire
KA1 2DJ
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-17
Last: 2025-08-03

Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)

THORLEY, Mark Richard→
director · ~63y · appointed 2016-08-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CONROY, Nicole→
director · ~40y · appointed 2021-01-01 · resigned 2023-03-03
Resigned
CONWAY, Nyree→
director · ~53y · appointed 2016-08-04 · resigned 2021-12-23
Resigned
GOSNEY, Euan→
director · ~44y · appointed 2016-08-04 · resigned 2023-03-03
Resigned
STEPHENSON, James Patrick→
director · ~66y · appointed 2023-03-15 · resigned 2025-09-30
Resigned
STEPHENSON, James Patrick→
director · ~66y · appointed 2016-08-04 · resigned 2021-04-30
Resigned
STORRIE, David→
director · ~50y · appointed 2017-09-01 · resigned 2023-03-03
Resigned
TURNER, Lesley-Ann→
director · ~39y · appointed 2023-03-15 · resigned 2023-06-06
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge—13/02/2018—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (36 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-11-19
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-24
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-08-14
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-03-15
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-03-15
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-03-09
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-03-09
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-03-09