JOHN MACIVER AND SONS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC265026 · ltd · incorporated 2004-03-17
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 May 2025
Net worth
£1.49M
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -40% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 21.8y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · 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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 1 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
56 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,486,364
Net assets shrinking
Down £124,175 YoY
Cash YoY
-40%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£404k
↓ 40% YoY
Net Worth
£1.5m
↓ 7.7% YoY
Current Assets
£794k
↓ 36% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £2.07M | £2.15M |
| Current assets | £794.3k | £1.24M |
| Cash | £403.6k | £670.8k |
| Debtors | £390.7k | £561.1k |
| Net assets | £1.49M | £1.61M |
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 (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-06📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2020-02-06🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2019-10-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-23📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2013-08-27➖MACRAE, Margaret Grant resignedsecretary
- 2010-11-25🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2004-06-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2004-03-17🏢Company incorporatedAs JOHN MACIVER AND SONS LIMITED
- 2004-03-17➕MACIVER, Iain appointeddirector
- 2004-03-17➕MACRAE, Margaret Grant appointedsecretary
- 2004-03-17➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-03-17➖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 "MACIVER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 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 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
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 Iain Maciver Individual · British · DOB 02/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 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 · HS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMD PLANT LTD→ SC788284 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| HEBRIDEAN OFFSHORE LTD→ SC396262 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| IOL ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD→ SC735725 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| JUST QUIETLY LTD→ SC818548 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| MACIVER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES LIMITED→ SC495816 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| MACMILLAN CONSULTING LIMITED→ SC838111 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| NORMAN MURRAY SERVICES LIMITED→ SC733234 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| PORTEOUS ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN LIMITED→ SC720699 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| REAACTOR LTD→ SC654778 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ROYAL HOTEL (STORNOWAY) HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC376911 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| S.MACDONALD LTD→ SC719469 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| SAORSA 27 PROPERTY LTD→ SC630970 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-03-17
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC77320 — Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Registered office
Yard 4 Moorpark
Marybank
Isle Of Lewis
HS2 0EL
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last: 2026-03-17
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
MACIVER, Iain→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2004-03-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MACRAE, Margaret Grant→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-03-17 · resigned 2013-08-27
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-03-17 · resigned 2004-03-17
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 25/11/2010 | 06/02/2020 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 24/06/2004 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (56 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-03-28
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-30