FINDLAY MURRAY & CO. LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC114804 · ltd · incorporated 1988-11-28
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 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

1 live charge · oldest 32.4y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 32.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
94 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-11-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-12-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-06-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-05-22
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2014-06-15
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name
    officers · TM02
  16. 2014-06-13
    ➖
    MORRISON, Kenneth resigned
    secretary
  17. 2000-12-30
    ➖
    FINDLAY, Ewan Gillespie resigned
    secretary
  18. 1993-11-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  19. 1990-07-27
    ➖
    MURRAY, James Robson resigned
    director
  20. 1990-06-21
    ➕
    FINDLAY, Ewan Gillespie appointed
    secretary
  21. 1990-06-21
    ➕
    MURRAY, James Robson appointed
    director
  22. 1988-11-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As FINDLAY MURRAY & CO. LTD.

Owner dependency

100/100
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 "FINDLAY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 37 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

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 · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Ewan Gillespie Findlay
Individual · British · DOB 12/1961 · age 65
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/05/2016

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 · Trade services · PH postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ECO FUNDING 4 YOU LTD→
SC831151 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
EGYPT EXPRESS LTD→
SC502707 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————11y——
EMERALD AND PEARL CONSULTING LTD→
SC850692 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
EUROPEAN UTILITY CONSULTANTS LIMITED→
SC207750 · est 2000 · no financials extracted
————25y——
EVEN KEEL CONTRACTS LTD→
SC440482 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————13y——
FAIR HAIR LTD→
SC757607 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————3y——
FINE SHINE SCOTLAND LTD→
SC855353 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
FLAWLESS BEAUTY LIMITED→
SC883480 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
FLEMING PROPERTY SOLUTIONS LTD→
SC382298 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————15y——
G1 NAILS & BEAUTY LTD→
SC789744 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————2y——
GAMINGPCPHONES LTD→
SC832521 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
GARDENS GALORE LIMITED→
SC262116 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————22y——
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
Incorporated1988-11-28
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

The Knowes
Abernyte
Nr. Inchture
Perthshire
PH14 9ST

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-05
Last: 2025-05-22

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

FINDLAY, Ewan Gillespie→
director · ~65y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FINDLAY, Ewan Gillespie→
secretary · appointed 1990-06-21 · resigned 2000-12-30
Resigned
MORRISON, Kenneth→
secretary · resigned 2014-06-13
Resigned
MURRAY, James Robson→
director · appointed 1990-06-21 · resigned 1990-07-27
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
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property24/11/1993—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (94 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-12-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-11-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-21