CUMMING & CO. (ABERDEEN) LTD.

🌳Matureactive
SC248131 · ltd · incorporated 2003-04-22
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£352.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Architectural activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -55% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 22.9y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (3 active, 10 linked, 5 with DOB)
80
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
75 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
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
85
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 · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £352,110
Cash draining
Cash down 55% YoY
Cash YoY
-55%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£112k
↓ 55% YoY
Net Worth
£352k
↑ 12% YoY
Current Assets
£452k
↑ 24% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£90k£181k£271k£362k£452kApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Total assets£353.3k£315.1k
Current assets£452.0k£363.2k
Cash£111.7k£248.8k
Debtors£340.3k£114.4k
Net assets£352.1k£313.2k

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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-08-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-11-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-11-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-09-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-12-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-08-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-01-22
    ➖
    STRACHAN, Gary Robert resigned
    director
  10. 2018-01-22
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2017-08-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-05-03
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2016-05-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2016-01-19
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  16. 2015-12-04
    ➖
    CUMMING, Allan William resigned
    director
  17. 2015-05-25
    ➖
    MACDONALD, David Archibald resigned
    director
  18. 2015-05-01
    ➕
    FORSYTH, Nicola appointed
    director
  19. 2013-05-13
    ➕
    TAYLOR, Mark appointed
    secretary
  20. 2013-05-13
    ➖
    CUMMING, Allan William resigned
    secretary
  21. 2008-04-22
    ➕
    CUMMING, Allan William appointed
    secretary
  22. 2008-04-22
    ➖
    THE GRANT SMITH LAW PRACTICE resigned
    corporate-secretary
  23. 2007-05-01
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Gary Robert appointed
    director
  24. 2005-06-22
    ➕
    TAYLOR, Mark appointed
    director
  25. 2005-06-22
    ➕
    MACDONALD, David Archibald appointed
    director
  26. 2003-06-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  27. 2003-04-22
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CUMMING & CO. (ABERDEEN) LTD.
  28. 2003-04-22
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 2003-04-22
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 2003-04-22
    ➕
    THE GRANT SMITH LAW PRACTICE appointed
    corporate-secretary
  31. 2003-04-22
    ➕
    CUMMING, Allan William appointed
    director
  32. 2003-04-22
    ➕
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  33. 2003-04-22
    ➖
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

76/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

76/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Cumming And Co (Cove) Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Cumming And Co (Cove) Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
CUMMING & CO. (ABERDEEN) LTD.
This company · SC248131

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
Cumming And Co (Cove) Ltd
Corporate entity
75–100%
—75-100% shares22/04/2016

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated2003-04-22
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC71111 — Architectural activities

Registered office

6 Castlehill
Aberdeen
AB11 5GJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-06
Last: 2026-04-22

Officers (3 active · 7 resigned)

TAYLOR, Mark→
secretary · appointed 2013-05-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FORSYTH, Nicola→
director · ~41y · appointed 2015-05-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
TAYLOR, Mark→
director · ~58y · appointed 2005-06-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CUMMING, Allan William→
secretary · appointed 2008-04-22 · resigned 2013-05-13
Resigned
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-04-22 · resigned 2003-04-22
Resigned
THE GRANT SMITH LAW PRACTICE→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2003-04-22 · resigned 2008-04-22
Resigned
CUMMING, Allan William→
director · ~74y · appointed 2003-04-22 · resigned 2015-12-04
Resigned
MACDONALD, David Archibald→
director · ~74y · appointed 2005-06-22 · resigned 2015-05-25
Resigned
STRACHAN, Gary Robert→
director · ~50y · appointed 2007-05-01 · resigned 2018-01-22
Resigned
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-04-22 · resigned 2003-04-22
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 Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property25/06/2003—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (75 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-04-22