COMRIE CROFT LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

SC265297 · ltd · incorporated 2004-03-22

Investment thesis

Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.

Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.

Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.

Why now

Window steady · low confidence

Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.

What changed my view

Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Dec 2024

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

83/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: Youth hostels

Sector: Accommodation & food service

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

55300SIC 55300
93110Operation of sports facilities

Investor take

Pursue

Strong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 18.1y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 18.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (72/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile

address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)

Directors & officers

12 officers (5 active, 12 linked, 9 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)

Director network

3 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

278 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

83/100Exceptional

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

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

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2024-12-31	2023-12-31
Average employees	3600	3800

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

• 6 capital
• 1 confirmation-statement

Last 180 days

filings

• 6 capital
• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (44 events)Click to expand

2026-05-13
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2026-05-11
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2026-05-11
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2026-04-24
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2026-04-15
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2026-04-15
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares-treasury-capital-date
capital · SH03
2025-08-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-30
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-12-19
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-16
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-11-11
➖
SINCLAIR, John George resigned
director
2024-09-30
📄
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-03-26
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2024-03-21
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2023-12-05
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2023-12-05
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-09-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-28
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2023-04-28
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-02-21
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2023-02-20
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2023-02-20
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2017-07-05
➕
SINCLAIR, John George appointed
director
2016-03-22
➖
MCPHAIL, Colin Ian resigned
director
2016-02-04
➕
MCPHAIL, Colin Ian appointed
director
2015-10-08
➖
ELDER, Fiona Mairi resigned
director
2015-01-05
➕
SCOTT, Andrew John appointed
director
2008-06-04
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: Robert Malpas
2008-06-04
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Triodos Bank Nv
2008-05-15
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: John Archibald Burdon-Cooper and Another
2008-05-07
➕
DONALDSON, Malize Claire appointed
director
2008-05-07
➖
BURDON-COOPER, John Archibald resigned
director
2008-05-07
➕
ELDER, Fiona Mairi appointed
director
2008-05-07
➖
POPE, Kirsteen Anna resigned
director
2005-01-02
➕
DONALDSON, James Robert appointed
director
2004-03-22
🏢
Company incorporated
As COMRIE CROFT LIMITED
2004-03-22
➕
DONALDSON, Andrew George appointed
secretary
2004-03-22
➕
DONALDSON, Andrew George appointed
director
2004-03-22
➕
SECRETARIAL APPOINTMENTS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-03-22
➖
SECRETARIAL APPOINTMENTS LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-03-22
➕
BURDON-COOPER, John Archibald appointed
director
2004-03-22
➕
POPE, Kirsteen Anna appointed
director
2004-03-22
➕
CORPORATE APPOINTMENTS LIMITED appointed
corporate-nominee-director
2004-03-22
➖
CORPORATE APPOINTMENTS LIMITED resigned
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

66/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

-4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100

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 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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.)

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Similar companies

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Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
GLOAGBURN FARM SHOP LTD→ SC301450 · est 2006	£4.45M £3.34M–£5.56M	£6.07M	—	6300	20y	84	65y
CAIRNGORM TAVERNS LTD→ SC382108 · est 2010	—	—	—	6	15y	83	84y
GLENCOE HOLIDAYS LIMITED→ SC251147 · est 2003	—	—	—	2	22y	83	59y
ACHADERRY ESTATE LIMITED→ SC287817 · est 2005	—	—	£215.8k	—	20y	82	78y
BREADALBANE BAKERY LTD.→ SC364177 · est 2009	—	—	£50.5k	—	16y	82	87y
CLACHAIG INN LIMITED→ SC241100 · est 2002	—	—	—	54	23y	82	62y
G K L LIMITED→ SC163447 · est 1996	—	—	£127.3k	—	30y	82	70y
GAEL PROPERTIES LTD.→ SC254368 · est 2003	—	—	—	200	22y	82	63y
INVERCOE HIGHLAND HOLIDAYS LIMITED→ SC176697 · est 1997	—	—	£117.9k	—	28y	82	67y
LOCHSIDE HOLIDAYS LIMITED→ SC300339 · est 2006	—	—	—	2	20y	82	69y
LOGIERAIT INN LIMITED→ SC261870 · est 2004	—	—	—	100	22y	82	66y
MCKAYS HOTEL, BAR AND RESTAURANT LIMITED→ SC318451 · est 2007	—	—	—	50	19y	82	66y

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 →

🔒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

Incorporated2004-03-22

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC55202 — Youth hostels

Registered office

Braincroft

Crieff

Perthshire

PH7 4JZ

United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-09-30

Last made up to: 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-04-05

Last: 2026-03-22

Officers (5 active · 7 resigned)

DONALDSON, Andrew George→

secretary · appointed 2004-03-22

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

DONALDSON, Andrew George→

director · ~50y · appointed 2004-03-22

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

DONALDSON, James Robert→

director · ~47y · appointed 2005-01-02

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

DONALDSON, Malize Claire→

director · ~52y · appointed 2008-05-07

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

SCOTT, Andrew John→

director · ~64y · appointed 2015-01-05

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

SECRETARIAL APPOINTMENTS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-03-22 · resigned 2004-03-22

Resigned

BURDON-COOPER, John Archibald→

director · ~88y · appointed 2004-03-22 · resigned 2008-05-07

Resigned

ELDER, Fiona Mairi→

director · ~48y · appointed 2008-05-07 · resigned 2015-10-08

Resigned

MCPHAIL, Colin Ian→

director · ~51y · appointed 2016-02-04 · resigned 2016-03-22

Resigned

POPE, Kirsteen Anna→

director · ~86y · appointed 2004-03-22 · resigned 2008-05-07

Resigned

SINCLAIR, John George→

director · ~58y · appointed 2017-07-05 · resigned 2024-11-11

Resigned

CORPORATE APPOINTMENTS LIMITED→

corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-03-22 · resigned 2004-03-22

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown

		Type	Properties
outstanding	Robert Malpas	Standard security	1 property	04/06/2008	—
outstanding	Triodos Bank Nv	Standard security	1 property	04/06/2008	—
outstanding	John Archibald Burdon-Cooper and Another	Standard security	1 property	15/05/2008	—

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.