LINES DISTRIBUTION SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC246460 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-26
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 53201
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 22.5y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 1 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
59 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 2700 | 3000 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-04-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-04-07📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2020-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-23📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2017-06-23🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2003-11-07🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2003-03-26🏢Company incorporatedAs LINES DISTRIBUTION SERVICES LIMITED
- 2003-03-26➕LINES, Gillian Catherine appointedsecretary
- 2003-03-26➕LINES, Malcolm Brian appointeddirector
- 2003-03-26➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-26➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
100/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "LINES" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. 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 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Malcolm Brian Lines Individual · Australian · DOB 08/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 30/06/2016 |
Mrs Gillian Catherine Lines Individual · British · DOB 07/1964 · age 62 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 30/06/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · DG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALL ROUTES SERVICES LTD→ SC654545 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CURRIE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC203722 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| HAULAGE EXPRESS LIMITED→ SC031221 · est 1955 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 70y | — | — |
| J MCCULLOCH & SON LTD→ SC685363 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| JARDINE LOGISTICS LIMITED→ SC363669 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| MICHAEL JOHNSTONE TRANSPORT LIMITED→ SC245050 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| MURRAYS TRAVEL LTD→ SC844426 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| NEW MCLEANS TAXIS LTD→ SC849491 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P.S.RIDGWAY LIMITED→ SC059996 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| RAS REMOVALS LIMITED→ SC561461 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| RICHESPARCELS LTD→ SC873727 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| RINGFORD CONTAINERS LTD→ SC712303 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-03-26
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC53201 — SIC 53201
Registered office
123 Irish Street
Dumfries
DG1 2PE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-09
Last: 2026-03-26
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
LINES, Gillian Catherine→
Activesecretary · appointed 2003-03-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LINES, Malcolm Brian→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2003-03-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-26 · resigned 2003-03-26
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 07/11/2003 | 23/06/2017 |
Recent filings (59 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-04-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-04-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-04-07
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-04-07