ADVERTISINGWORKS SCOTLAND LTD.
💤Zombieactive
SC237922 · ltd · incorporated 2002-10-09
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Advertising agencies
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 23.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 23.1 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
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
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
70 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
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 900 | 900 |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-20📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-11-14➖RICHMOND, Scott John resigneddirector
- 2023-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-22➖HEATHCOTE, Susan Bernadette resignedsecretary
- 2019-07-22📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-07-03📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2019-07-01➕ROWELL, Veronica appointedsecretary
- 2019-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-17📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2018-04-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-18📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2016-07-12📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2016-07-01➕RICHMOND, Scott John appointeddirector
- 2011-05-03➖KNOX, Alexander resigneddirector
- 2003-04-03🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2002-10-09🏢Company incorporatedAs ADVERTISINGWORKS SCOTLAND LTD.
- 2002-10-09➕KNOX, Daniel Alexander appointeddirector
- 2002-10-09➕HEATHCOTE, Susan Bernadette appointedsecretary
- 2002-10-09➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-10-09➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-10-09➕KNOX, Alexander appointeddirector
- 2002-10-09➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-10-09➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Daniel Alexander Knox Individual · British · DOB 01/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · firm interest | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Professional services · KA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADD ONE (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→ SC211286 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| AILSA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC674406 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ARO-TIME CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ SC860303 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE FAMILY LAW LTD→ SC841384 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BARNARLO DESIGN LIMITED→ SC880580 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BEATON DIGITAL LTD→ SC833699 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BRILLIANTLY DIFFERENT LIMITED→ SC575333 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CAMERON CORE LIMITED→ SC860069 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAMPBELL DESIGN LTD→ SC343049 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| CARRICK 2020 LIMITED→ SC632226 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CELIGNY LAC LIMITED→ SC847007 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFM CONSULTING ENGINEERS LTD→ SC803680 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-10-09
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC73110 — Advertising agencies
Registered office
55 Newmarket Street
Ayr
Ayrshire
KA7 1LL
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-06
Last: 2025-09-22
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
KNOX, Daniel Alexander→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2002-10-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HEATHCOTE, Susan Bernadette→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-10-09 · resigned 2019-07-22
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-10-09 · resigned 2002-10-09
KNOX, Alexander→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 2002-10-09 · resigned 2011-05-03
RICHMOND, Scott John→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 2016-07-01 · resigned 2023-11-14
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-10-09 · resigned 2002-10-09
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 03/04/2003 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (70 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-07-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-11-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-06-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-05-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-09-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-14
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2019-07-22