CB ESCALA LTD

💤Zombieactive

SC427282 · ltd · incorporated 2012-06-29

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 Dec 2024

Net worth

£195.0k

book net assets

Opportunity

63/100

Worth a look

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Activities of open-ended investment companies

Sector: Financial & insurance

Investor take

Special-situation opportunity

Distressed financial-services with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 55/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (40/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

9 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 10.5y

30/100

under pressure

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

· Oldest live charge is 10.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
· Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (74/100)

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

1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)

Directors & officers

3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

8 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

61 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

63/100Worth a look

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality

Adequate — check latest filings for context.

Acquirability

Some acquirability indicators.

Risk profile

Some moderate concerns — review 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 £194,989

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£36k

Net Worth

£195k

Current Assets

£778k

Current Liabilities

—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2024-12-31
Total assets	£195.0k
Current assets	£778.4k
Cash	£35.7k
Debtors	£742.7k
Net assets	£195.0k

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

• 2 accounts
• 1 address

Last 180 days

filings

• 2 accounts
• 1 address

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand

2026-03-10
📄
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2026-03-10
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-02-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
📄
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2025-09-17
📄
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2025-09-16
📄
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2024-12-23
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-12-19
➖
CAIRNS, Martin Ian resigned
director
2024-09-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-19
➖
CAIRNS, Jennifer Ann resigned
secretary
2024-08-19
📄
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-09-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-28
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-12-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-13
📄
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-09-08
🔒
Charge registered #9
Lender: Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance LTD
2021-08-17
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-08-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2021-06-29
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-15
📄
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2021-04-06
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-04-06
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-04-06
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-04-06
📄
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #8
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #7
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #5
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2021-04-06
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2018-02-26
➕
CAIRNS, Martin Ian appointed
director
2017-09-01
➕
CAIRNS, Jennifer Ann appointed
secretary
2017-07-13
🔒
Charge registered #8
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2017-03-30
🔒
Charge registered #7
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2017-03-30
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2017-03-30
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2016-02-10
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2016-02-10
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2015-11-03
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2015-10-07
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2012-06-29
🏢
Company incorporated
As CB ESCALA LTD
2012-06-29
➕
BROWN, Craig appointed
director

Owner dependency

75/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

+Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

53/100

Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS

primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.

Red flags

1 high · 1 med ·

Accounts overdue

high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-31

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr Craig Brown Individual · British · DOB 06/1982 · age 44	75–100%	—	75-100% shares	30/06/2016

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 · Financial services · EH postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
BREICH BUILDING COMPANY LIMITED→ SC442841 · est 2013 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	13y	—	—
BRIDGEPOINT EUROPE (SGP) LTD→ SC332267 · est 2007 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	18y	—	—
BRIDGEPOINT EUROPE IV FP (GP) LIMITED→ SC330160 · est 2007 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	18y	—	—
BUSINESS ANGELS LTD→ SC781782 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
CANINVEST LIMITED→ SC694846 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
CASTLE OPERATIONS LTD→ SC381111 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—
CC ADVISER LTD→ SC805857 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
CHANROSSA GROUP LIMITED→ SC499950 · est 2015 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	11y	—	—
CHOOSE WASTE LIMITED→ SC834774 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND INSURANCE SERVICES LIMITED→ SC001777 · est 1888 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	137y	—	—
COMPASS WEALTH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ SC641418 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—
CPRESTO LTD→ SC744842 · est 2022 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	3y	—	—

Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →

🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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

Incorporated2012-06-29

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC64304 — Activities of open-ended investment companies

Registered office

77/2 77/2 Hanover Street

Edinburgh

Midlothian

EH2 1EE

United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-03-31OVERDUE

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-07-08

Last: 2025-06-24

Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)

BROWN, Craig→

director · ~44y · appointed 2012-06-29

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

CAIRNS, Jennifer Ann→

secretary · appointed 2017-09-01 · resigned 2024-08-19

Resigned

CAIRNS, Martin Ian→

director · ~67y · appointed 2018-02-26 · resigned 2024-12-19

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown

		Type	Properties
outstanding	Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance LTD	A registered charge	—	08/09/2021	—
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	13/07/2017	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	30/03/2017	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	30/03/2017	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	30/03/2017	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	10/02/2016	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	10/02/2016	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	1 property	03/11/2015	06/04/2021
satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC	A registered charge	—	07/10/2015	17/08/2021

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (61 total)

change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened

accounts · AA01

2026-03-10

change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address

address · AD01

2026-03-10

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2026-02-25

change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened

accounts · AA01

2025-09-29

gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date

gazette · DISS40

2025-09-17

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2025-09-16

gazette-notice-compulsory

gazette · GAZ1

2025-09-16

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2024-12-23

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2024-09-27

termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM02

2024-08-19

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2024-08-19

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2023-09-29

change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address

address · AD01

2023-06-28

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2023-06-28

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2022-12-29