BROWN BROS. (IRVINE) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC057060 · ltd · incorporated 1975-01-23
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£101.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 18129
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 4 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 41.6y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 41.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
105 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £101,265
Very low cash
Cash position: £22
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£22
~ YoY
Net Worth
£101k
↑ 14% YoY
Current Assets
£151k
↑ 1.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £129.3k | £125.7k |
| Current assets | £151.3k | £149.4k |
| Cash | £22 | £22 |
| Debtors | £102.5k | £104.7k |
| Net assets | £101.3k | £88.8k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-14📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-05-13📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2024-05-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-05-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-10📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-05-10📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-11-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-09➖BOYLE, Graham resigneddirector
- 2018-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2011-02-11➖MCCOLM, David resigneddirector
- 2002-08-01➕MCCOLM, David appointeddirector
- 1998-06-24➕BOYLE, Douglas Andrew appointedsecretary
- 1998-06-24➖BOYLE, Sheena Jean resignedsecretary
- 1998-06-24➖BOYLE, Sheena Jean resigneddirector
- 1995-07-11🔒Charge registered #4Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1992-12-08🔒Charge registered #3Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1990-06-06➕BOYLE, Douglas Andrew appointeddirector
- 1987-06-08🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Guardian Assurance PLC
- 1984-09-06🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1975-01-23🏢Company incorporatedAs BROWN BROS. (IRVINE) LIMITED
Owner dependency
93/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 36 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 36 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 51 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Executors Of Graham Boyle Individual · British · DOB 11/1941 · age 85 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Douglas Andrew Boyle Individual · British · DOB 06/1966 · age 60 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAVID OGILVIE ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC165185 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| DKJ AIR LTD→ SC878729 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FASTRIDER LIMITED→ SC212555 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| FLEMWELD LTD→ SC506806 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| FORGE SOFT FURNISH LTD→ SC847879 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FRANKLIN CLARK MEDIA LIMITED→ SC574500 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| FRST PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→ SC626208 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| GCR BODYWORKS LTD→ SC837483 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GG41 LTD→ SC851188 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GIRARD INDUSTRIES EUROPE LIMITED→ SC101084 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| GJM PRINTING LTD→ SC552808 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| GKAROUZAKIS AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD→ SC848913 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1975-01-23
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC18129 — SIC 18129
Registered office
Quarry Rd
Irvine
KA12 0TJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-25
Last: 2025-05-11
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
BOYLE, Douglas Andrew→
Activesecretary · appointed 1998-06-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOYLE, Douglas Andrew→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 1990-06-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOYLE, Sheena Jean→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1998-06-24
BOYLE, Graham→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · resigned 2019-09-09
BOYLE, Sheena Jean→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · resigned 1998-06-24
MCCOLM, David→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2002-08-01 · resigned 2011-02-11
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 11/07/1995 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 08/12/1992 | — | |
| outstanding | Guardian Assurance Guardian Assurance PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 08/06/1987 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 06/09/1984 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (105 total)
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-05-13
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-05-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-05-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-05-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-11