ARCHITECTURAL COLOUR COATINGS LTD
💤Zombieactive
SC301099 · ltd · incorporated 2006-04-21
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Painting
Sector: Construction
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: 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 3.5y
35/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Charge age ~3.5 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · 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
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
59 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 | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1000 | 900 |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-07-04📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-02-21📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-02-16➖HOULISTON, Jacqueline Murray resigneddirector
- 2024-01-10📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-02-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-02-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-03📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-11-03🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
- 2022-01-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-04📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2019-04-04📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2019-04-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-04-04📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-03-31➖HOULISTON, Grace Dodds Bourhill resignedsecretary
- 2019-03-31➕HOULISTON, Jacqueline Murray appointeddirector
- 2019-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2013-04-06➕HOULISTON, Grace Dodds Bourhill appointedsecretary
- 2013-04-05➖THOMSON, Pamela Anne resignedsecretary
- 2006-04-21🏢Company incorporatedAs ARCHITECTURAL COLOUR COATINGS LTD
- 2006-04-21➕HOULISTON, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2006-04-21➕THOMSON, Pamela Anne appointedsecretary
- 2006-04-21➕DUPORT SECRETARY LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-04-21➖DUPORT SECRETARY LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-04-21➕DUPORT DIRECTOR LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2006-04-21➖DUPORT DIRECTOR LIMITED 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 20 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 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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 Andrew Houliston Individual · British · DOB 08/1979 · age 47 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Jacqueline Murray Houlistonceased 16/02/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · Construction · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. SANDERSON ELECTRICAL LTD.→ SC321000 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| AMRO DEVELOPMENT LIMITED→ SC539309 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AMRR LTD→ SC730130 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AND CONNECT ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ SC550640 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AOP ASSOCIATES LTD→ SC615117 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| APEX FIRE & SECURITY LIMITED→ SC350599 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| AQUARIUS THERMAL SYSTEMS LTD→ SC313788 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| AR PLANNING SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC425529 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AR SGP LIMITED→ SC649090 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PAISLEY LIMITED→ SC780678 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARDEN DEVELOPMENTS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→ SC731233 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ARDKINGLAS LAND LIMITED→ SC294179 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-04-21
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC43341 — Painting
Registered office
10 Newmains Holdings
Drem
North Berwick
EH39 5BL
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-04-29
Last: 2025-04-15
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
HOULISTON, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2006-04-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOULISTON, Grace Dodds Bourhill→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2013-04-06 · resigned 2019-03-31
THOMSON, Pamela Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-04-21 · resigned 2013-04-05
DUPORT SECRETARY LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2006-04-21 · resigned 2006-04-21
HOULISTON, Jacqueline Murray→
Resigneddirector · ~47y · appointed 2019-03-31 · resigned 2024-02-16
DUPORT DIRECTOR LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2006-04-21 · resigned 2006-04-21
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 | The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 03/11/2022 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (59 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-07-31
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-07-04
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-07-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-23
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-02-21
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2024-01-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-02-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-31
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-01-25