AIRD WALKER & RALSTON LIMITED

💤Zombieactive

SC020812 · ltd · incorporated 1939-02-02

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 Dec 2024

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

73/100

Strong

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Electrical installation

Sector: Construction

Investor take

Pursue

Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 58.1y

15/100

under pressure

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

· Oldest live charge is 58.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· 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

Lenders & charges

3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)

Directors & officers

14 officers (2 active, 14 linked, 11 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

2 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

119 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

73/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Some acquirability indicators.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

—

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2024-12-31	2023-12-31
Average employees	40	4200

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand

2025-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-02-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-04-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2017-10-03
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2016-12-21
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2016-09-26
📄
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2016-01-08
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2015-11-25
➖
MACDONALD, George resigned
director
2015-11-25
➖
MCAUGHTRIE, David William resigned
director
2015-11-25
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2015-11-25
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2015-11-25
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2015-10-25
➖
NISBET, Derek Robert resigned
director
2015-09-02
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2015-09-02
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2015-09-02
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2013-06-05
➕
MACDONALD, George appointed
director
2012-03-30
➕
NISBET, Derek Robert appointed
secretary
2012-03-30
➕
CHRISTIE, Gordon appointed
director
2012-03-30
➖
MCGAVIN, Fraser resigned
secretary
2012-03-30
➖
GRIER, Frieda resigned
director
2012-03-30
➖
JAY, Archibald Charles resigned
director
2012-03-30
➕
MCAUGHTRIE, David William appointed
director
2012-03-30
➖
MCGAVIN, Fraser resigned
director
2012-03-30
➕
NISBET, Derek Robert appointed
director
2010-01-28
➕
MCGAVIN, Fraser appointed
secretary
2010-01-28
➖
SCOTT, William Thorburn Bell resigned
secretary
2010-01-28
➖
SCOTT, William Thorburn Bell resigned
director
2009-08-14
➕
MCGAVIN, Fraser appointed
director
1997-02-28
➖
JAMES, Gilbert Anderson resigned
director
1996-05-31
➖
WALKER, John resigned
director
1994-11-22
➕
GRIER, Frieda appointed
director
1994-11-08
➖
POLLOCK, William Noble resigned
director
1993-04-01
➕
JAMES, Gilbert Anderson appointed
director
1980-06-20
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Prestwick Investment Trust Limited
1969-09-03
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
1968-03-08
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: British Bank of Commerce LTD
1939-02-02
🏢
Company incorporated
As AIRD WALKER & RALSTON LIMITED

Owner dependency

75/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

+Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

68/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 87 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

1 med ·

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

William Young (Kilmarnock) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️

William Young (Kilmarnock) Limited

Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares

ultimate parent

⬇

AIRD WALKER & RALSTON LIMITED

This company · SC020812

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
William Young (Kilmarnock) Limited Corporate entity	75–100%	—	75-100% shares	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 · Construction · KA postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
A & W PLUMBING & HEATING LIMITED→ SC340333 · est 2008 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	18y	—	—
A. STEVELY ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS LIMITED→ SC161762 · est 1995 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	30y	—	—
ALM ENERGY SERVICES LTD→ SC639397 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—
ANDA PROJECT LIMITED→ SC854141 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
AQUA BATHROOMS (AYRSHIRE) LIMITED→ SC592855 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
AUBERNE HOMES (AYRSHIRE) LIMITED→ SC466223 · est 2013 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—
AVANTE SCAFFOLDING LIMITED→ SC388660 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—
AVESTA COMPLIANCE LTD→ SC574895 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
AVESTA SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC374920 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	16y	—	—
AWL CORE DRILLING & DEMOLITION LIMITED→ SC579841 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
AWL SUBCONTRACTORS LIMITED→ SC365904 · est 2009 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	16y	—	—
AWS CONSTRUCTION LTD→ SC281417 · est 2005 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	21y	—	—

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

Incorporated1939-02-02

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC43210 — Electrical installation

Registered office

1 Simonsburn Road

Kilmarnock

Ayrshire

KA1 5LA

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-09-16

Last: 2025-09-02

Officers (2 active · 12 resigned)

NISBET, Derek Robert→

secretary · appointed 2012-03-30

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

CHRISTIE, Gordon→

director · ~51y · appointed 2012-03-30

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

MCGAVIN, Fraser→

secretary · appointed 2010-01-28 · resigned 2012-03-30

Resigned

SCOTT, William Thorburn Bell→

secretary · resigned 2010-01-28

Resigned

GRIER, Frieda→

director · ~83y · appointed 1994-11-22 · resigned 2012-03-30

Resigned

JAMES, Gilbert Anderson→

director · ~82y · appointed 1993-04-01 · resigned 1997-02-28

Resigned

JAY, Archibald Charles→

director · ~82y · resigned 2012-03-30

Resigned

MACDONALD, George→

director · ~72y · appointed 2013-06-05 · resigned 2015-11-25

Resigned

MCAUGHTRIE, David William→

director · ~64y · appointed 2012-03-30 · resigned 2015-11-25

Resigned

MCGAVIN, Fraser→

director · ~74y · appointed 2009-08-14 · resigned 2012-03-30

Resigned

NISBET, Derek Robert→

director · ~63y · appointed 2012-03-30 · resigned 2015-10-25

Resigned

POLLOCK, William Noble→

director · ~90y · resigned 1994-11-08

Resigned

SCOTT, William Thorburn Bell→

director · ~81y · resigned 2010-01-28

Resigned

WALKER, John→

director · ~90y · resigned 1996-05-31

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown

		Type	Properties
satisfied	Prestwick Investment Trust Prestwick Investment Trust Limited	Standard security	1 property	20/06/1980	02/09/2015
satisfied	Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company	Bond of cash credit & floating charge	1 property	03/09/1969	02/09/2015
satisfied	British Bank of Commerce British Bank of Commerce LTD	Disposition & minute of agreement	1 property	08/03/1968	02/09/2015