IONA NURSERY LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC407733 · ltd · incorporated 2011-09-20
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 3.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Pre-primary education
Sector: Education
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 72-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 72). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 3.2y
75/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Charge age ~3.2 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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 (2 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
40 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 3400 | 3400 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-03-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-02-22🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2023-02-14📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-02-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2022-03-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-21📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2018-01-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-01-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2011-09-23➕MACLEOD, Fraser Donald appointeddirector
- 2011-09-23➕MACLEOD, Iona appointeddirector
- 2011-09-20🏢Company incorporatedAs IONA NURSERY LIMITED
- 2011-09-20➕JACOBS, Yomtov Eliezer appointeddirector
- 2011-09-20➖JACOBS, Yomtov Eliezer resigneddirector
Owner dependency
81/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 72 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miss Iona Macleod Individual · British · DOB 08/1988 · age 38 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2016 |
Mr Fraser Donald Macleod Individual · British · DOB 09/1954 · age 72 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2016 |
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 · Education & training · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDITATION MASTERS LTD→ SC867480 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| MORAY WAY ULTRAS LTD→ SC777276 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| QUIRKYCOOARTS LTD→ SC880494 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| REHOBOTH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY LTD→ SC859868 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| RIDER SKILL ACADEMY LTD→ SC822263 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| SAFER TRAINING (SCOTLAND) LTD→ SC446596 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| SINCLAIR SCHOOL OF HIGHLAND DANCING LIMITED→ SC500411 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| SPORT EDU COACH SERVICES LTD→ SC449438 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| STATION HOUSE MEDIA UNIT→ SC332413 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| SUMY HEALTHCARE LIMITED→ SC620466 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| SUZ MCDONALD WELLBEING LTD→ SC879880 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TAILORED TRAINING SERVICES LIMITED→ SC764776 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-09-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC85100 — Pre-primary education
Registered office
12 Crombie Circle
Peterculter
Aberdeenshire
AB14 0XU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-28
Last: 2026-04-14
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
MACLEOD, Fraser Donald→
Activedirector · ~72y · appointed 2011-09-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MACLEOD, Iona→
Activedirector · ~38y · appointed 2011-09-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JACOBS, Yomtov Eliezer→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2011-09-20 · resigned 2011-09-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 22/02/2023 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 13/02/2023 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (40 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-07
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-02
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-02-23
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-07