MCMURRAY & ARCHIBALD LIMITED

⚰️Wound downdissolved
SC176487 · ltd · incorporated 1997-06-17
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 28.3y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
64/100
Worth a look
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed dormant / non-trading — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 64/100 (worth a look), 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: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 28.3y

65/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 28.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (61/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (4 active, 10 linked, 6 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
19 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
85 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
64/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (38 events)Click to expand
  1. 2023-09-05
    📄
    gazette-dissolved-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ2(A)
  2. 2023-09-05
    🏁
    Company dissolved
  3. 2022-10-11
    📄
    dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspended
    dissolution · SOAS(A)
  4. 2022-09-20
    📄
    gazette-notice-voluntary
    gazette · GAZ1(A)
  5. 2022-09-13
    📄
    dissolution-application-strike-off-company
    dissolution · DS01
  6. 2021-09-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-09-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-09-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-08-27
    ➕
    NISBET, Robert Gordon appointed
    secretary
  11. 2018-08-27
    ➖
    SWEENEY, Patrick Edward resigned
    secretary
  12. 2018-08-27
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  13. 2018-08-27
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  14. 2018-03-12
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  15. 2017-09-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-06-28
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  17. 2017-06-27
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  18. 2017-06-27
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  19. 2016-10-27
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  20. 2016-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  21. 2016-07-12
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  22. 2015-09-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  23. 2005-05-31
    ➖
    NELSON, Paul Anthony resigned
    director
  24. 2004-11-10
    ➖
    MARTIN, John Swanston resigned
    secretary
  25. 2004-11-10
    ➕
    SWEENEY, Patrick Edward appointed
    secretary
  26. 1998-01-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  27. 1997-08-28
    ➕
    MARTIN, John appointed
    director
  28. 1997-08-28
    ➕
    MARTIN, Vera appointed
    director
  29. 1997-08-28
    ➕
    NISBET, Robert Gordon appointed
    director
  30. 1997-08-28
    ➕
    MARTIN, John Swanston appointed
    secretary
  31. 1997-08-28
    ➖
    ANDERSON STRATHERN WS resigned
    corporate-secretary
  32. 1997-08-28
    ➖
    CAMPBELL, Thomas Weir resigned
    director
  33. 1997-08-28
    ➖
    KERR, John Neilson resigned
    director
  34. 1997-08-28
    ➕
    NELSON, Paul Anthony appointed
    director
  35. 1997-06-17
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MCMURRAY & ARCHIBALD LIMITED
  36. 1997-06-17
    ➕
    ANDERSON STRATHERN WS appointed
    corporate-secretary
  37. 1997-06-17
    ➕
    CAMPBELL, Thomas Weir appointed
    director
  38. 1997-06-17
    ➕
    KERR, John Neilson appointed
    director

Owner dependency

83/100
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
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 93 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100
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 93 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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 high ·
Company dissolved
high

Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.

Evidence: Dissolved on 2023-09-05

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Martin
Individual · British · DOB 06/1936 · age 90
——sig. influencesignificant influence17/06/2017

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 →

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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

Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1997-06-17
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

The John Martin Group Ltd C/O Belmont Wallyford
3 Salters Road
Wallyford
Musselburgh
EH21 8JY
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2020-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —

Officers (0 active · 6 resigned)

NISBET, Robert Gordon→
secretary · appointed 2018-08-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MARTIN, John→
director · ~90y · appointed 1997-08-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MARTIN, Vera→
director · ~93y · appointed 1997-08-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
NISBET, Robert Gordon→
director · ~79y · appointed 1997-08-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MARTIN, John Swanston→
secretary · appointed 1997-08-28 · resigned 2004-11-10
Resigned
SWEENEY, Patrick Edward→
secretary · appointed 2004-11-10 · resigned 2018-08-27
Resigned
ANDERSON STRATHERN WS→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1997-06-17 · resigned 1997-08-28
Resigned
CAMPBELL, Thomas Weir→
director · ~92y · appointed 1997-06-17 · resigned 1997-08-28
Resigned
KERR, John Neilson→
director · ~70y · appointed 1997-06-17 · resigned 1997-08-28
Resigned
NELSON, Paul Anthony→
director · ~71y · appointed 1997-08-28 · resigned 2005-05-31
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
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Floating charge1 property08/01/1998—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (85 total)

gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2023-09-05
dissolution-voluntary-strike-off-suspended
dissolution · SOAS(A)
2022-10-11
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2022-09-20
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2022-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-09-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2018-09-19
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2018-08-27
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2018-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-06-25