GEORGE COCKBURN & SON LTD.

🌳Matureactive
SC264000 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-25
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.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£325.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
81/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 81/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (4 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
81/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £325,857
Net assets shrinking
Down £88,894 YoY
Cash YoY
-25%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£272k
↓ 25% YoY
Net Worth
£326k
↓ 21% YoY
Current Assets
£317k
↓ 22% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£83k£166k£249k£332k£415kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£335.6k£424.5k
Current assets£316.9k£404.9k
Cash£271.9k£361.4k
Debtors£33.5k£35.0k
Net assets£325.9k£414.8k

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
5
filings
  • • 3 officers
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
6
filings
  • • 3 officers
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-30
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  2. 2026-01-30
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2026-01-30
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  4. 2026-01-30
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2025-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2025-01-23
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  7. 2025-01-10
    ➖
    FRAME KENNEDY resigned
    corporate-secretary
  8. 2024-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-12-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2023-03-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2022-03-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2022-02-15
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  13. 2022-02-15
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2021-03-31
    ➕
    MACGREGOR, Arlene Mackintosh appointed
    director
  15. 2021-03-31
    ➕
    MACKAY, Kelly Anne appointed
    director
  16. 2021-03-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2019-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2018-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2018-03-05
    📄
    change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH04
  20. 2004-02-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As GEORGE COCKBURN & SON LTD.
  21. 2004-02-25
    ➕
    MACGREGOR, Fraser James appointed
    director
  22. 2004-02-25
    ➕
    MACKAY, Paul appointed
    director
  23. 2004-02-25
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2004-02-25
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2004-02-25
    ➕
    FRAME KENNEDY appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2004-02-25
    ➕
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  27. 2004-02-25
    ➖
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

66/100
High — earn-out structure required

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

FACTORS
  • -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

70/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Fraser James Macgregor
Individual · British · DOB 06/1968 · age 58
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Paul Mackay
Individual · British · DOB 03/1970 · age 56
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated2004-02-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47220 — Retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores

Registered office

4th Floor, Metropolitan House
31-33 High Street
Inverness
IV1 1HT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-16
Last: 2026-02-02

Officers (4 active · 3 resigned)

MACGREGOR, Arlene Mackintosh→
director · ~59y · appointed 2021-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACGREGOR, Fraser James→
director · ~58y · appointed 2004-02-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACKAY, Kelly Anne→
director · ~48y · appointed 2021-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACKAY, Paul→
director · ~56y · appointed 2004-02-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-02-25 · resigned 2004-02-25
Resigned
FRAME KENNEDY→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2004-02-25 · resigned 2025-01-10
Resigned
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-02-25 · resigned 2004-02-25
Resigned

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

Recent filings (66 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-02
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-30
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-30
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-06
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-23