D-I-Y AYRSHIRE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC304125 · ltd · incorporated 2006-06-16
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£430.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 19.9y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 19.9 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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
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
63 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £430,451
Net assets shrinking
Down £19,398 YoY
Cash YoY
-25%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£25k
↓ 25% YoY
Net Worth
£430k
↓ 4.3% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£90k£180k£270k£360k£450kJan 2024Jan 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Total assets£430.5k£449.8k
Cash£24.8k£33.1k
Net assets£430.5k£449.8k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-29
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  2. 2026-04-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  3. 2025-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2025-03-14
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  5. 2025-03-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Energyfarm UK Hare Craig LLP
  6. 2024-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-06-09
    ➖
    MILLS, Robert resigned
    director
  9. 2022-06-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-06-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2021-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-08-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-05-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-07-11
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  17. 2016-07-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2016-07-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  19. 2015-08-24
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  20. 2007-04-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2006-07-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2006-06-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As D-I-Y AYRSHIRE LIMITED
  23. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    MILLS, Theresa appointed
    secretary
  24. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    MILLS, Robert Brian appointed
    director
  25. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    COSEC LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2006-06-16
    ➖
    COSEC LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    MILLS, Robert appointed
    director
  28. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    CODIR LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  29. 2006-06-16
    ➖
    CODIR LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director
  30. 2006-06-16
    ➕
    COSEC LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  31. 2006-06-16
    ➖
    COSEC LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

93/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

78/100
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 61. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
  • 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Robert Brian Mills
Individual · British · DOB 06/1965 · age 61
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 · Retail · KA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
WILLIAM YOUNG (KILMARNOCK) LIMITED→
SC032275 · est 1957
£2.75M
£2.06M–£3.44M
——5369y8272y
J & W CARPETS LIMITED→
SC362931 · est 2009
£258.4k
£193.8k–£322.9k
——6716y8348y
KIRKMICHAEL VILLAGE RENAISSANCE→
SC376521 · est 2010
——£46.6k—16y8380y
MC STORES LIMITED→
SC387053 · est 2010
——£678.2k—15y8374y
QUEST FARM SUPPLIES LIMITED→
SC362924 · est 2009
——£2.06M—16y8359y
A.L. PAINT AND SUPPLIES LIMITED→
SC173153 · est 1997
——£973.9k—29y8274y
AGRI-INPUT DIRECT LIMITED→
SC207700 · est 2000
——£315.0k—25y8259y
AM SERVICE STATIONS LIMITED→
SC211245 · est 2000
———1325y8259y
ANDREW HUGHES CHEMISTS LIMITED→
SC205281 · est 2000
————26y8263y
BDC FUELS LIMITED→
SC229389 · est 2002
———210024y8267y
C MCCALLUM LIMITED→
SC264993 · est 2004
———3322y8263y
CARPET CLEARANCE LIMITED→
SC244523 · est 2003
——£120.8k—23y8261y
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
Incorporated2006-06-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47520 — Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores

Registered office

49 Townhead Street
Cumnock
Ayrshire
KA18 1LF

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last: 2025-06-16

Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)

MILLS, Theresa→
secretary · appointed 2006-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MILLS, Robert Brian→
director · ~61y · appointed 2006-06-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COSEC LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2006-06-16
Resigned
MILLS, Robert→
director · ~92y · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2022-06-09
Resigned
CODIR LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2006-06-16
Resigned
COSEC LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2006-06-16 · resigned 2006-06-16
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Energyfarm UK Hare Craig
Energyfarm UK Hare Craig LLP
A registered charge3 properties12/03/2025—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property17/04/2007—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property20/07/200629/04/2026
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (63 total)

mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-19
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-03-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-09
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-18