ALBA PRINTERS LTD.
💤Zombieactive
SC153569 · ltd · incorporated 1994-10-12
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 Oct 2025
Net worth
£219.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 18129
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (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: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -90% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 31.5y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 31.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
92 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £219,176
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,046,551 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 90% YoY
Cash YoY
-90%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£115k
↓ 90% YoY
Net Worth
£219k
↓ 83% YoY
Current Assets
£274k
↓ 79% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £255.5k | £1.33M |
| Current assets | £274.0k | £1.28M |
| Cash | £114.8k | £1.12M |
| Debtors | £129.2k | £129.5k |
| Net assets | £219.2k | £1.27M |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-05📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-11-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-10-29📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2024-10-29📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2024-10-29📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2024-10-28📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-10-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-10-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-25➕STEED, Moira appointeddirector
- 2024-10-25➖CURRIE, Colette Maureen resignedsecretary
- 2024-10-25➖CURRIE, John resigneddirector
- 2024-10-25🔒Charge registered #2Lender: John Currie (As Security Trustee)
- 2024-06-24📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2024-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-08-04📄second-filing-notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC01
- 2021-08-04📄second-filing-change-details-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · RP04PSC04
- 2021-06-18📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-06-12🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1998-10-12➖CAIRNS, Robert Singleton resigneddirector
- 1997-12-04➕CURRIE, Colette Maureen appointedsecretary
- 1997-12-04➖CURRIE, John resignedsecretary
- 1996-04-17➕CAIRNS, Robert Singleton appointeddirector
- 1996-04-17➖HOGAN, Thomas Brian resigneddirector
- 1994-11-01➖CAIRNS, Robert resigneddirector
- 1994-11-01➕HOGAN, Thomas Brian appointeddirector
- 1994-10-31🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Scottish Community Enterprise Investment Fund PLC
- 1994-10-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ALBA PRINTERS LTD.
- 1994-10-12➕CURRIE, John appointedsecretary
- 1994-10-12➕CAIRNS, Robert appointeddirector
- 1994-10-12➕CURRIE, John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
55/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Group structure
Me Steed Holdings Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Me Steed Holdings Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
ALBA PRINTERS LTD.
This company · SC153569
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Me Steed Holdings Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 25/10/2024 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Collette Maureen Currieceased 25/10/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr John Currieceased 25/10/2024· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting
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 · Manufacturing · DG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & E HEALTHCARE LTD→ SC430666 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ADS FIRE SERVICES LIMITED→ SC425664 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AMBER PROGRAMMABLE DESIGN LIMITED→ SC164216 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE ANIMAL BY=PRODUCTS LIMITED→ SC742797 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| CLARK DOOR LIMITED→ SC046648 · est 1969 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 56y | — | — |
| CURIBOOS LTD→ SC843730 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| D K ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION LTD→ SC483836 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| DAVID REID LIMITED→ SC292994 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| DFS CASKETS LIMITED→ SC269322 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| DUMFRIES DENTAL LABORATORY LIMITED→ SC593531 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| DUMFRIES TOOL ROOM LIMITED→ SC145131 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| EACH HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC397037 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1994-10-12
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC18129 — SIC 18129
Registered office
1 St Michael Street
Dumfries
DG1 2QD
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-03
Last: 2025-09-19
Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)
STEED, Moira→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2024-10-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CURRIE, Colette Maureen→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-12-04 · resigned 2024-10-25
CURRIE, John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1994-10-12 · resigned 1997-12-04
CAIRNS, Robert Singleton→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 1996-04-17 · resigned 1998-10-12
CAIRNS, Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 1994-10-12 · resigned 1994-11-01
CURRIE, John→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 1994-10-12 · resigned 2024-10-25
HOGAN, Thomas Brian→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 1994-11-01 · resigned 1996-04-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | John Currie (As Security Trustee) | A registered charge | — | 25/10/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Scottish Community Enterprise Investment Fund Scottish Community Enterprise Investment Fund PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 31/10/1994 | 12/06/2017 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (92 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-11-05
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-11-01
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2024-10-29
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-10-29
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-10-29
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-10-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-10-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-30
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-06-24