DC THOMSON MAGAZINE PUBLISHING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC442311 · ltd · incorporated 2013-02-08
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other publishing activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. 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: strategic trade sale (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (58/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
47 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
2
filings
- • 2 officers
Last 90 days
3
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
5
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 2 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-01➕MCCALL, Peter appointedsecretary
- 2026-04-01📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2026-04-01📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-03-31➖EVANS, Susannah resignedsecretary
- 2025-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2025-12-21📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2025-10-20📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2025-10-20📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-31📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-11-04📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2024-11-04📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-11📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-12-19📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-12-19📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-12-15📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-12-15📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2022-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-12-31➖WATSON, Michael resigneddirector
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-01➖WATSON, Ellis Alan Nicholas resigneddirector
- 2021-04-01📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-04-04➕THOMSON, David Howard Eric appointeddirector
- 2019-03-05➖DOUGLAS, Irene resignedsecretary
- 2019-03-05➕EVANS, Susannah appointedsecretary
- 2014-01-08➕DOUGLAS, Irene appointedsecretary
- 2014-01-08➖TAYLOR WESSING SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2013-02-08🏢Company incorporatedAs DC THOMSON MAGAZINE PUBLISHING LIMITED
- 2013-02-08➕TAYLOR WESSING SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2013-02-08➕WATSON, Ellis Alan Nicholas appointeddirector
- 2013-02-08➕WATSON, Michael appointeddirector
Owner dependency
90/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "THOMSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
Succession & seller-readiness
45/100
Moderate signalSome 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.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Group structure
Dc Thomson & Company Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Dc Thomson & Company Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
DC THOMSON MAGAZINE PUBLISHING LIMITED
This company · SC442311
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dc Thomson & Company Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Technology · DD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRIGHTSOLID ONLINE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED→ SC161678 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| CHOCOLATE MANOR LTD→ SC852755 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CIEL HEALTHTECH LTD→ SC836646 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| COGENT FOCUS LIMITED→ SC426229 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| CONVITALITY LTD→ SC752852 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| COVALENCE FUTURE LTD→ SC808556 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CRAFTING DIGITAL CIC→ SC870876 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CRE CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ SC336621 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| CRE ENGINEERING LTD→ SC506832 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| CREATIVE CORE LIMITED→ SC252929 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| DARKCATS RESEARCH LIMITED→ SC537700 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DATA2AI LTD→ SC584475 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2013-02-08
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC58190 — Other publishing activities
Registered office
Courier Buildings
Albert Square
Dundee
DD1 9QJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-22
Last: 2026-02-08
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
Active
THOMSON, David Howard Eric→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2019-04-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DOUGLAS, Irene→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2014-01-08 · resigned 2019-03-05
EVANS, Susannah→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2019-03-05 · resigned 2026-03-31
TAYLOR WESSING SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2013-02-08 · resigned 2014-01-08
WATSON, Ellis Alan Nicholas→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2013-02-08 · resigned 2021-04-01
WATSON, Michael→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 2013-02-08 · resigned 2021-12-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (47 total)
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2026-04-01
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2025-12-21
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2025-12-21
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2025-10-20
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2025-10-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-12-31
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-12-31
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2024-11-04
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-11-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-01-11
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-01-11