ADAMSON BROS (SHETLAND) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC143091 · ltd · incorporated 1993-03-08
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
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Sector: Real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Property-backed borrower with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 4 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

9 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 32.7y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 32.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · 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
9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
98 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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Average employees100100

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (44 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-06-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-03-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-02-21
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  8. 2020-02-21
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  9. 2019-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-10-01
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2019-10-01
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  12. 2018-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-03-14
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2015-12-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2015-03-16
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2009-02-25
    ➕
    ADAMSON, Adam appointed
    secretary
  19. 2008-10-21
    ➖
    ADAMSON, Fiona resigned
    secretary
  20. 2008-10-21
    ➖
    ADAMSON, Fiona resigned
    director
  21. 2006-08-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #10
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2005-03-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #9
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  23. 2003-11-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  24. 2003-09-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  25. 2003-09-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  26. 2003-09-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  27. 2003-09-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  28. 2003-02-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  29. 2002-08-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  30. 1996-03-01
    ➖
    ERASMUS, Ferdinand Gerhard resigned
    director
  31. 1995-07-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  32. 1995-07-01
    ➕
    ADAMSON, Fiona appointed
    director
  33. 1995-07-01
    ➕
    ERASMUS, Ferdinand Gerhard appointed
    director
  34. 1994-09-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  35. 1994-06-14
    ➕
    ADAMSON, Fiona appointed
    secretary
  36. 1994-06-14
    ➖
    RAMSAY, Peter John resigned
    secretary
  37. 1993-08-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  38. 1993-03-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ADAMSON BROS (SHETLAND) LIMITED
  39. 1993-03-08
    ➕
    ADAMSON, Adam appointed
    director
  40. 1993-03-08
    ➕
    RAMSAY, Peter John appointed
    secretary
  41. 1993-03-08
    ➕
    REID, Brian appointed
    nominee-secretary
  42. 1993-03-08
    ➖
    REID, Brian resigned
    nominee-secretary
  43. 1993-03-08
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen appointed
    nominee-director
  44. 1993-03-08
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen resigned
    nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ADAMSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 33 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 33 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 33 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

1 med ·
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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Adam Adamson
Individual · British · DOB 04/1953 · age 73
75–100%
—75-100% shares08/03/2017

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1993-03-08
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC68209 — Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate

Registered office

North Bridge Garage
Cunningsburgh
Shetland
Isle Of Shetland
ZE2 9HB

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-22
Last: 2026-03-08

Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)

ADAMSON, Adam→
secretary · appointed 2009-02-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ADAMSON, Adam→
director · ~73y · appointed 1993-03-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ADAMSON, Fiona→
secretary · appointed 1994-06-14 · resigned 2008-10-21
Resigned
RAMSAY, Peter John→
secretary · appointed 1993-03-08 · resigned 1994-06-14
Resigned
REID, Brian→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-03-08 · resigned 1993-03-08
Resigned
ADAMSON, Fiona→
director · ~67y · appointed 1995-07-01 · resigned 2008-10-21
Resigned
ERASMUS, Ferdinand Gerhard→
director · ~76y · appointed 1995-07-01 · resigned 1996-03-01
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen→
nominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1993-03-08 · resigned 1993-03-08
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

9
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property16/08/2006—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property01/03/2005—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property23/09/2003—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property23/09/200321/02/2020
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property20/02/200301/10/2019
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property26/08/200224/09/2003
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property05/07/1995—
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security2 properties22/09/199424/09/2003
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property24/08/199318/11/2003
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (98 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-17
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2020-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-16