AQUIDATA XL LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC177371 · ltd · incorporated 1997-07-18
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£1.15M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Business and domestic software development
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 62020Information technology consultancy activities
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 5 lenders · oldest 28.4y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 28.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 5 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
110 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,148,609
Cash YoY
+376%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£591k
↑ 376% YoY
Net Worth
£1.1m
↑ 60% YoY
Current Assets
£2.6m
↑ 83% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£519k£1.0m£1.6m£2.1m£2.6mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£1.20M£716.0k
Current assets£2.60M£1.42M
Cash£591.0k£124.1k
Debtors£2.01M£1.30M
Net assets£1.15M£716.0k

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 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-08-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-21
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  5. 2023-02-21
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  6. 2023-02-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  7. 2023-02-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  8. 2022-08-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-06-01
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  10. 2022-05-31
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  11. 2021-07-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-05-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-09-20
    ➖
    XL GROUP LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  15. 2018-09-20
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  16. 2018-05-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-05-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2017-01-17
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-part
    mortgage · MR04
  19. 2017-01-11
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  20. 2017-01-11
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  21. 2017-01-11
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  22. 2012-07-01
    ➖
    STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  23. 2012-07-01
    ➕
    XL GROUP LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  24. 2009-12-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  25. 2009-12-18
    ➖
    FERGUSON, Nigel Robin resigned
    director
  26. 2009-12-18
    ➖
    WILSON, Jonathan Lindsay resigned
    director
  27. 2008-10-27
    ➖
    STRONACHS resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2008-10-27
    ➕
    STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  29. 2006-10-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  30. 2006-09-09
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  31. 2006-09-09
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  32. 2006-08-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  33. 2000-11-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Aquidata Limited
  34. 2000-11-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Excel Industrial Systems Limited
  35. 2000-11-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  36. 1997-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  37. 1997-08-31
    ➕
    LAIRD, Colin appointed
    director
  38. 1997-08-31
    ➖
    ALLAN, David Martin resigned
    director
  39. 1997-08-31
    ➕
    FERGUSON, Nigel Robin appointed
    director
  40. 1997-08-31
    ➕
    WILSON, Jonathan Lindsay appointed
    director
  41. 1997-07-18
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AQUIDATA XL LIMITED
  42. 1997-07-18
    ➕
    STRONACHS appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  43. 1997-07-18
    ➕
    ALLAN, David Martin appointed
    director

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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
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 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • 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 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

Xl Global Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Xl Global Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
AQUIDATA XL LIMITED
This company · SC177371

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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Xl Global Group Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Colin Lairdceased 06/04/2016· significant influence · firm interest

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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1997-07-18
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC62012 — Business and domestic software development

Registered office

X L House Woodburn Road
Blackburn Business Park
Blackburn
Aberdeen
AB21 0PS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-01
Last: 2025-07-18

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

LAIRD, Colin→
director · ~66y · appointed 1997-08-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STRONACHS→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-07-18 · resigned 2008-10-27
Resigned
STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2008-10-27 · resigned 2012-07-01
Resigned
XL GROUP LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2012-07-01 · resigned 2018-09-20
Resigned
ALLAN, David Martin→
director · ~80y · appointed 1997-07-18 · resigned 1997-08-31
Resigned
FERGUSON, Nigel Robin→
director · ~72y · appointed 1997-08-31 · resigned 2009-12-18
Resigned
WILSON, Jonathan Lindsay→
director · ~65y · appointed 1997-08-31 · resigned 2009-12-18
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge—08/02/2023—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property18/10/200611/01/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property04/08/200621/02/2023
satisfied
Aquidata
Aquidata Limited
Standard security1 property09/11/200022/12/2009
satisfied
Excel Industrial Systems
Excel Industrial Systems Limited
Standard security1 property09/11/200011/01/2017
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property07/11/200009/09/2006
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property08/12/199709/09/2006
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (110 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-18
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-02-21
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-26
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2022-06-01
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-28