D. MACPHERSON (PLANT HIRE) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC242603 · ltd · incorporated 2003-01-20
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 02400
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 72). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
55 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-01-30 | 2024-01-30 |
|---|
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-29📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2018-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-15📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-04-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-02-16📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2009-02-01➕MCLAUCHLAN, Lorraine Moira appointedsecretary
- 2009-02-01➖MACKAY, Maureen resignedsecretary
- 2003-01-20🏢Company incorporatedAs D. MACPHERSON (PLANT HIRE) LIMITED
- 2003-01-20➕MACPHERSON, Douglas William appointeddirector
- 2003-01-20➕MACKAY, Maureen appointedsecretary
- 2003-01-20➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-01-20➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-01-20➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-01-20➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-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 "MACPHERSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — 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 72 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 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high ·Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-02-03
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Douglas William Macpherson Individual · British · DOB 10/1954 · age 72 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 20/01/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · IV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAID WOODLANDS AND LOCHANS LTD.→ SC178828 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| MOROV LTD→ SC760765 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ORD STABLES LTD→ SC690220 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| PECHEURS ECOSSE LIMITED→ SC581815 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| PTOROTON HOLDINGS LTD→ SC596999 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| RODERICK MACLENNAN CONTRACTOR LTD→ SC882482 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SALTIRE HIGHLAND FARMS LIMITED→ SC774565 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| SALTIRE HIGHLAND LTD→ SC755716 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SCOTT FARMING LIMITED→ SC447909 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| SEABOARD COMMUNITY POLYTUNNEL GROUP COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY→ SC732629 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SEAFIELD FARM LTD→ SC763361 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SEAFIELD PARK LIMITED→ SC168157 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-01-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC02400 — SIC 02400
Registered office
Inishmore
Mackenzie Place, Maryburgh
Dingwall
Ross Shire
IV7 8DY
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-30
Last made up to: 2025-01-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-02-03OVERDUE
Last: 2025-01-20
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
MCLAUCHLAN, Lorraine Moira→
Activesecretary · appointed 2009-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MACPHERSON, Douglas William→
Activedirector · ~72y · appointed 2003-01-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MACKAY, Maureen→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-01-20 · resigned 2009-02-01
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-01-20 · resigned 2003-01-20
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-01-20 · resigned 2003-01-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (55 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-01-13
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2019-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-02-01