J & W JOHNSTON LTD
Opportunity 76/100 (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.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £1.6k |
| Net assets | — | £1.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 signals 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
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (9 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-03🏢Company incorporatedAs J & W JOHNSTON LTD
- 2019-06-03➕JOHNSTON, James Watt appointeddirector
- 2019-06-03📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "JOHNSTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 7 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Watt Johnston Individual · Scottish · DOB 06/1968 · age 58 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 03/06/2019 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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| KERNYS ACCESS LTD→ SC736665 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| KERO PROPERTIES LTD→ SC692692 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
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