GARDENS MOWERS AND TOOLS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC348112 · ltd · incorporated 2008-09-04
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
£374.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 69-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 69). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 17.0y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 17.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
41 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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £374,141
Cash YoY
+1059%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£6k
↑ 1059% YoY
Net Worth
£374k
↑ 23% YoY
Current Assets
£465k
↑ 8.0% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £374.1k | £1.11M |
| Current assets | £464.8k | £430.3k |
| Cash | £5.8k | £500 |
| Debtors | £93.3k | £60.7k |
| Net assets | £374.1k | £303.2k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-30📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-01-30🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2023-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-11-02📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-11-02🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2021-05-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-26📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-11-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2019-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-22📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-03-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111)
- 2016-03-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-05-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2008-09-04🏢Company incorporatedAs GARDENS MOWERS AND TOOLS LIMITED
- 2008-09-04➕COULTHERD, Clare Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 2008-09-04➕COULTHERD, Roger appointeddirector
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 69 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 18 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 69. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Roger Coultherd Individual · British · DOB 10/1957 · age 69 | 25–50% | 25–50% | sig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · significant influence | 04/09/2016 |
Mrs Clare Elizabeth Coultherd Individual · British · DOB 01/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | sig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · significant influence | 04/09/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUYANA LIMITED→ SC216279 · est 2001 | — | — | — | 1600 | 25y | 83 | 64y |
| JOHN & J H SANDS LIMITED→ SC056427 · est 1974 | — | — | — | 800 | 51y | 83 | 68y |
| LINKS LICENSED GROCERS LTD.→ SC327527 · est 2007 | — | — | — | 1200 | 18y | 83 | 63y |
| MICROSCOPY SUPPLIES & CONSULTANTS LIMITED→ SC139542 · est 1992 | — | — | — | 300 | 33y | 83 | 79y |
| ANDREW HUTT LIMITED→ SC056671 · est 1974 | — | — | — | 100 | 51y | 82 | 93y |
| BACCHUS (ST ANDREWS) LTD.→ SC251347 · est 2003 | — | — | £227.9k | — | 22y | 82 | 66y |
| BOB MILLAR LIMITED→ SC168787 · est 1996 | — | — | £2.61M | — | 29y | 82 | 59y |
| BRINNOR LIMITED→ SC353301 · est 2009 | — | — | — | 1100 | 17y | 82 | 62y |
| CLASSIQUE FLOORING LIMITED→ SC144130 · est 1993 | — | — | £611.3k | — | 33y | 82 | 71y |
| DEALS ON REELS LIMITED→ SC237443 · est 2002 | — | — | £9.6k | — | 23y | 82 | 65y |
| DUNFERMLINE REPAIR CENTRE LTD.→ SC169402 · est 1996 | — | — | £18.3k | — | 29y | 82 | 65y |
| HMR STORES LTD.→ SC338232 · est 2008 | — | — | £19.5k | — | 18y | 82 | 78y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2008-09-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47789 — Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (other than commercial art galleries and opticians)
Registered office
Langraw
Feddinch
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 8NR
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-18
Last: 2025-09-04
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
COULTHERD, Clare Elizabeth→
Activesecretary · appointed 2008-09-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COULTHERD, Roger→
Activedirector · ~69y · appointed 2008-09-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 15/11/2019 | 30/01/2024 | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Both Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank) (Company Number SC001111) | A registered charge | — | 18/03/2016 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 05/05/2009 | 02/11/2021 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (41 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-05-23
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-06-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-06-06
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-02-28
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-11-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-05-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-06-24