MUNRO FRUIT MERCHANTS LTD.

🌳Matureactive
SC169387 · ltd · incorporated 1996-10-29
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 29.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£86.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 47210Retail sale of fruit and vegetables in specialised stores
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 29.0y

50/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 29.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
92 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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £86,319
Net assets shrinking
Down £19,665 YoY
Cash YoY
+180%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£42k
↑ 180% YoY
Net Worth
£86k
↓ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£195k
↑ 1.9% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£39k£78k£117k£156k£195kMay 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Total assets£87.9k£117.8k
Current assets£194.6k£190.9k
Cash£42.2k£15.1k
Debtors£145.3k£169.4k
Net assets£86.3k£106.0k

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-01-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-02-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-03-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-01-05
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2021-01-05
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2020-02-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-11-06
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  11. 2019-11-06
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  12. 2019-11-06
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  13. 2019-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-12-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2018-12-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2018-12-07
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  17. 2018-12-05
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2009-04-06
    ➕
    MCLAUGHLIN, Christina appointed
    director
  19. 2008-10-28
    ➖
    STONE, Ruariadh Guy Vernon Munro resigned
    director
  20. 1999-03-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Highland Opportunity Limited
  21. 1997-04-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 1997-02-14
    ➕
    SHAW, Neil appointed
    secretary
  23. 1997-02-14
    ➖
    STONE, Ruariadh Guy Vernon Munro resigned
    secretary
  24. 1996-10-29
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MUNRO FRUIT MERCHANTS LTD.
  25. 1996-10-29
    ➕
    MCLAUGHLIN, James Thomas Christopher appointed
    director
  26. 1996-10-29
    ➕
    REID, Brian appointed
    nominee-secretary
  27. 1996-10-29
    ➖
    REID, Brian resigned
    nominee-secretary
  28. 1996-10-29
    ➕
    STONE, Ruariadh Guy Vernon Munro appointed
    secretary
  29. 1996-10-29
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen appointed
    nominee-director
  30. 1996-10-29
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen resigned
    nominee-director
  31. 1996-10-29
    ➕
    STONE, Ruariadh Guy Vernon Munro appointed
    director

Owner dependency

84/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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

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

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
James Thomas Christopher Mclaughlin
Individual · British · DOB 01/1963 · age 63
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control01/06/2016
Mrs Christina Mclaughlin
Individual · British · DOB 09/1964 · age 62
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting08/07/2019

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

6 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
Incorporated1996-10-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46310 — Wholesale of fruit and vegetables

Registered office

Unit 4 Blarliath Ind Estate, Tain, Ross-Shire
Blarliath Industrial Estate
Tain
IV19 1EB
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-12
Last: 2025-10-29

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

SHAW, Neil→
secretary · appointed 1997-02-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCLAUGHLIN, Christina→
director · ~62y · appointed 2009-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCLAUGHLIN, James Thomas Christopher→
director · ~63y · appointed 1996-10-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
REID, Brian→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1996-10-29 · resigned 1996-10-29
Resigned
STONE, Ruariadh Guy Vernon Munro→
secretary · appointed 1996-10-29 · resigned 1997-02-14
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen→
nominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1996-10-29 · resigned 1996-10-29
Resigned
STONE, Ruariadh Guy Vernon Munro→
director · ~62y · appointed 1996-10-29 · resigned 2008-10-28
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Highland Opportunity
Highland Opportunity Limited
Standard security1 property17/03/1999—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property24/04/1997—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (92 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-02-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-01-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-03-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-01-05
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-12