THE HIGHLAND TRADING COMPANY LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC147280 · ltd · incorporated 1993-11-02
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: dormant / non-trading with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 78/100 (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: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 3 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
84 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
90
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£0Feb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-02-282024-02-28

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

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 (33 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-05-13
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  3. 2025-05-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2025-05-13
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  5. 2025-04-24
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  6. 2025-04-20
    ➖
    STRICKLAND, Dorothy Anne resigned
    secretary
  7. 2025-02-28
    ➖
    STRICKLAND, Robert Alastair Mckenzie resigned
    secretary
  8. 2025-02-28
    ➖
    STRICKLAND, Dorothy Anne resigned
    director
  9. 2025-02-28
    ➖
    STRICKLAND, Robert Alastair Mckenzie resigned
    director
  10. 2024-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  11. 2023-06-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2022-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-12-13
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  14. 2021-12-13
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  15. 2021-12-13
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  16. 2021-12-13
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  17. 2021-12-13
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  18. 2021-12-01
    ➕
    STRICKLAND, Caroyln appointed
    director
  19. 2021-06-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  20. 2020-05-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  21. 2019-05-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  22. 2018-04-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  23. 1999-03-28
    ➖
    BALLANTYNE, James William resigned
    secretary
  24. 1995-10-24
    ➕
    STRICKLAND, Dorothy Anne appointed
    secretary
  25. 1995-07-22
    ➕
    STRICKLAND, Robert Alastair Mckenzie appointed
    secretary
  26. 1995-07-22
    ➕
    STRICKLAND, Robert Alastair Mckenzie appointed
    director
  27. 1993-11-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE HIGHLAND TRADING COMPANY LTD.
  28. 1993-11-02
    ➕
    BALLANTYNE, James William appointed
    secretary
  29. 1993-11-02
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 1993-11-02
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  31. 1993-11-02
    ➕
    STRICKLAND, Dorothy Anne appointed
    director
  32. 1993-11-02
    ➕
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  33. 1993-11-02
    ➖
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 33 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Carolyn Anne Strickland
Individual · British · DOB 07/1966 · age 60
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/12/2021
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mrs Dorothy Anne Stricklandceased 01/12/2021· 25-50% shares
  • Mr Robert Alastair Stricklandceased 01/12/2021· 25-50% shares

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

Similar companies

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
QUIN GLOBAL HOLDINGS LTD→
SC598159 · est 2018
£821.8k
£698.5k–£945.1k
—£821.8k—8y7971y
BRICKDECOR LIMITED→
SC223794 · est 2001
£160.6k
£136.5k–£184.7k
—£160.6k—24y8270y
REALISE ENERGY LIMITED→
SC438088 · est 2012
£36.2k
£30.8k–£41.7k
—£36.2k—13y7961y
TELEWORK SCOTLAND LTD.→
SC199241 · est 1999
£5
£4–£6
—£5—26y8071y
HALLYBURTON ESTATES LIMITED→
SC120222 · est 1989
————36y8362y
STEWARTS PRODUCE LIMITED→
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———51610y8366y
MACNAUGHTONS LIMITED→
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———223y8273y
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———018y8262y
BANDIRRAN ESTATES LIMITED→
SC022067 · est 1942 · no financials extracted
————84y8172y
CAMPHILL CENTRAL SCOTLAND SOCIAL FUND LIMITED→
SC168853 · est 1996 · no financials extracted
————29y8173y
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———410y8072y
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 →
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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.

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Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1993-11-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

Tomghuibhais
Urlar Road
Aberfeldy
PH15 2ET
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-06
Last: 2025-10-23

Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)

STRICKLAND, Caroyln→
director · ~60y · appointed 2021-12-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BALLANTYNE, James William→
secretary · appointed 1993-11-02 · resigned 1999-03-28
Resigned
STRICKLAND, Dorothy Anne→
secretary · appointed 1995-10-24 · resigned 2025-04-20
Resigned
STRICKLAND, Robert Alastair Mckenzie→
secretary · appointed 1995-07-22 · resigned 2025-02-28
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1993-11-02 · resigned 1993-11-02
Resigned
STRICKLAND, Dorothy Anne→
director · ~84y · appointed 1993-11-02 · resigned 2025-02-28
Resigned
STRICKLAND, Robert Alastair Mckenzie→
director · ~84y · appointed 1995-07-22 · resigned 2025-02-28
Resigned
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1993-11-02 · resigned 1993-11-02
Resigned

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

Recent filings (84 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-05-13
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-05-13
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-05-13
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-05-13
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-04-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-06-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-12-13
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2021-12-13