ARBDOB LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC131851 · ltd · incorporated 1991-05-15
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 Jun 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 80-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 80). 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 (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 34.8y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 34.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · 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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
20 officers (1 active, 20 linked, 14 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
128 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
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
77
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£0Jun 2023Jun 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-06-302023-06-30
Average employees100100

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

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

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (62 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-09-12
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  2. 2025-09-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  3. 2025-08-29
    ➕
    ARBUTHNOTT, Charles Philip appointed
    director
  4. 2025-08-29
    ➖
    LITSTER, Andrew John resigned
    secretary
  5. 2025-08-29
    ➖
    LITSTER, Andrew John resigned
    director
  6. 2025-08-29
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  7. 2025-08-29
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  8. 2025-08-29
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  9. 2025-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2024-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2023-07-19
    ✏️
    certificate-change-of-name-company
    change-of-name · CERTNM
  12. 2023-06-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2022-08-03
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  14. 2022-08-02
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  15. 2022-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2021-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2020-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2019-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2017-04-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  21. 2016-04-04
    ➖
    HARDY, Steve Lee resigned
    director
  22. 2016-04-04
    ➖
    HENDRY, Richard resigned
    director
  23. 2016-04-04
    ➖
    MCKENNA, George resigned
    director
  24. 2016-04-04
    ➖
    RAMSAY, Alastair David resigned
    director
  25. 2015-05-20
    ➖
    HOWE, Peter Craggs resigned
    director
  26. 2014-12-19
    ➖
    STEVENSON, Michael Ralph resigned
    director
  27. 2013-05-09
    ➖
    COCKBURN, David Richard resigned
    director
  28. 2011-11-23
    ➕
    COCKBURN, David Richard appointed
    director
  29. 2011-11-23
    ➕
    HOWE, Peter Craggs appointed
    director
  30. 2011-10-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  31. 2011-09-26
    ➖
    DOBSON, Deborah Elizabeth Ann resigned
    secretary
  32. 2011-09-26
    ➖
    ARBUTHNOTT, Charles Philip resigned
    director
  33. 2011-09-26
    ➖
    DOBSON, Michael resigned
    director
  34. 2011-09-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  35. 2011-06-01
    ➕
    LITSTER, Andrew John appointed
    director
  36. 2011-06-01
    ➕
    RAMSAY, Alastair David appointed
    director
  37. 2011-06-01
    ➕
    STEVENSON, Michael Ralph appointed
    director
  38. 2010-05-28
    ➖
    BEATTIE, Karen Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  39. 2010-05-28
    ➕
    LITSTER, Andrew John appointed
    secretary
  40. 2008-11-11
    ➖
    GUEST, Edward resigned
    director
  41. 2008-04-21
    ➕
    GUEST, Edward appointed
    director
  42. 2007-08-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  43. 2006-07-04
    ➕
    HARDY, Steve Lee appointed
    director
  44. 2006-07-04
    ➕
    HENDRY, Richard appointed
    director
  45. 2006-07-04
    ➕
    MCKENNA, George appointed
    director
  46. 2002-02-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Bowater Windows Limited
  47. 2001-02-21
    ➕
    BEATTIE, Karen Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  48. 2000-11-24
    ➖
    ROBERTSON, Struan Duncan Macpherson resigned
    secretary
  49. 2000-04-12
    ➕
    ROBERTSON, Struan Duncan Macpherson appointed
    secretary
  50. 1992-11-10
    ➕
    DOBSON, Deborah Elizabeth Ann appointed
    secretary
Showing most recent 50 of 62 events

Owner dependency

90/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 80 — 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 70+: Senior director is approximately 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

1 med ·
2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: LITSTER, Andrew John resigned 2025-08-29; LITSTER, Andrew John resigned 2025-08-29

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Deborah Elizabeth Ann Dobson
Individual · British · DOB 03/1951 · age 75
25–50%
—25-50% shares04/07/2016
Mrs Lindsay Clare Arbuthnott
Individual · British · DOB 02/1957 · age 69
25–50%
—25-50% shares04/07/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1991-05-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.

Registered office

19 Feus Road
Perth
PH1 2AS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-29
Last: 2025-05-15

Officers (1 active · 19 resigned)

ARBUTHNOTT, Charles Philip→
director · ~80y · appointed 2025-08-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BEATTIE, Karen Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2001-02-21 · resigned 2010-05-28
Resigned
CARNEGIE, Charles→
secretary · appointed 1991-06-10 · resigned 1992-11-01
Resigned
DOBSON, Deborah Elizabeth Ann→
secretary · appointed 1992-11-10 · resigned 2011-09-26
Resigned
LITSTER, Andrew John→
secretary · appointed 2010-05-28 · resigned 2025-08-29
Resigned
ROBERTSON, Struan Duncan Macpherson→
secretary · appointed 2000-04-12 · resigned 2000-11-24
Resigned
BRODIES WS→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1991-05-15 · resigned 1991-06-10
Resigned
ARBUTHNOTT, Charles Philip→
director · ~80y · appointed 1991-06-10 · resigned 2011-09-26
Resigned
CAMPBELL, Alistair Carnegie→
director · ~72y · appointed 1991-05-15 · resigned 1991-06-10
Resigned
COCKBURN, David Richard→
director · ~56y · appointed 2011-11-23 · resigned 2013-05-09
Resigned
DOBSON, Michael→
director · ~79y · appointed 1991-06-10 · resigned 2011-09-26
Resigned
GUEST, Edward→
director · ~64y · appointed 2008-04-21 · resigned 2008-11-11
Resigned
GUILD, David William Alan→
nominee-director · ~73y · appointed 1991-05-15 · resigned 1991-06-10
Resigned
HARDY, Steve Lee→
director · ~53y · appointed 2006-07-04 · resigned 2016-04-04
Resigned
HENDRY, Richard→
director · ~67y · appointed 2006-07-04 · resigned 2016-04-04
Resigned
HOWE, Peter Craggs→
director · ~78y · appointed 2011-11-23 · resigned 2015-05-20
Resigned
LITSTER, Andrew John→
director · ~65y · appointed 2011-06-01 · resigned 2025-08-29
Resigned
MCKENNA, George→
director · ~67y · appointed 2006-07-04 · resigned 2016-04-04
Resigned
RAMSAY, Alastair David→
director · ~64y · appointed 2011-06-01 · resigned 2016-04-04
Resigned
STEVENSON, Michael Ralph→
director · ~61y · appointed 2011-06-01 · resigned 2014-12-19
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Floating charge1 property21/09/201112/09/2025
satisfied
Bowater Windows
Bowater Windows Limited
Bond & floating charge1 property05/02/200202/08/2007
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond and floating charge1 property01/07/199121/10/2011

Recent filings (128 total)

mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-09-12
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-08-29
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-29
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-10
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2023-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-01
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2022-08-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-02
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2022-08-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-31