SHAND FARMS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC163484 · ltd · incorporated 1996-02-19
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 May 2025
Net worth
£-49.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 75). 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 10.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 2 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
70 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £49,078
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£49k
↑ 10% YoY
Current Assets
£38k
↓ 24% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-49.1k | £-54.8k |
| Current assets | £38.1k | £50.2k |
| Debtors | £60 | £17.2k |
| Net assets | £-49.1k | £-54.8k |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
3
filings
- • 2 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 2 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-09📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-02-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-10📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-02-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2015-03-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 1996-02-19🏢Company incorporatedAs SHAND FARMS LIMITED
- 1996-02-19➕SHAND, Ian appointedsecretary
- 1996-02-19➕SHAND, Alistair Gordon appointeddirector
- 1996-02-19➕REID, Brian appointednominee-secretary
- 1996-02-19➖REID, Brian resignednominee-secretary
- 1996-02-19➕MABBOTT, Stephen appointednominee-director
- 1996-02-19➖MABBOTT, Stephen resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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 "SHAND" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
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 75 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 30 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alistair Gordon Shand Individual · British · DOB 01/1951 · age 75 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDW307 LTD→ SC699924 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| S D WEST LIMITED→ SC510850 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| SEANN LIMITED→ SC331316 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| SECUTUS CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC884654 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SIXTY SEVEN ENTERPRISES LTD→ SC666363 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| SJG FISHING LTD→ SC733378 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SOYBURN LIMITED→ SC279771 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| SPENCE FISHING LTD.→ SC562525 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| SPEYSIDE AGRICULTURE LTD→ SC695496 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| SPRINGHILL NURSERIES (WHOLESALE) LIMITED→ SC122649 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| ST AGRICULTURE LTD→ SC660704 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ST. BARR FISHING LTD→ SC589402 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1996-02-19
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Burnside Farm
Methlick
Ellon
Aberdeenshire
AB41 7JG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-02
Last: 2026-02-16
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Active
SHAND, Alistair Gordon→
Activedirector · ~75y · appointed 1996-02-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
REID, Brian→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1996-02-19 · resigned 1996-02-19
MABBOTT, Stephen→
Resignednominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1996-02-19 · resigned 1996-02-19
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 08/02/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (70 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-28