J.A. BUCHAN LTD.

🌳Matureactive
SC268534 · ltd · incorporated 2004-05-28
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£134
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 03110
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 50). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -93% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 21.0y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £134
Net assets shrinking
Down £1,900 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 93% YoY
Cash YoY
-93%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£489
↓ 93% YoY
Net Worth
£134
↓ 93% YoY
Current Assets
£78k
↑ 4.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£16k£31k£47k£62k£78kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£37.9k£15.0k
Current assets£77.7k£74.6k
Cash£489£6.8k
Debtors£77.3k£67.7k
Net assets£134£2.0k

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 (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-03-18
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  7. 2021-03-18
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2021-03-18
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  9. 2021-03-18
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2021-03-18
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2021-03-18
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  12. 2020-12-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-12-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-12-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-12-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-09-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2015-01-30
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  18. 2015-01-26
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  19. 2015-01-13
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Diane appointed
    secretary
  20. 2015-01-13
    ➖
    BUCHAN, John resigned
    secretary
  21. 2011-05-01
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Diane appointed
    director
  22. 2006-01-25
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  23. 2005-04-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  24. 2004-05-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As J.A. BUCHAN LTD.
  25. 2004-05-28
    ➕
    BUCHAN JNR, John Alexander appointed
    director
  26. 2004-05-28
    ➕
    BUCHAN, John appointed
    secretary
  27. 2004-05-28
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2004-05-28
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  29. 2004-05-28
    ➕
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 2004-05-28
    ➖
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. 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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BUCHAN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

66/100
Strong succession signal

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Diane Buchan
Individual · British · DOB 03/1983 · age 43
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mr John Alexander Buchan Jnr
Individual · British · DOB 03/1976 · age 50
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

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

🔒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

Active · Agriculture · AB postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
R.S.M. MILNE (DYKELANDS) LIMITED→
SC030118 · est 1954 · no financials extracted
————71y——
RDW307 LTD→
SC699924 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
RITCH FINGASK LIMITED→
SC759033 · est 2023 · no financials extracted
————3y——
RJD FARMS LIMITED→
SC855979 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
RYAN HOGARTH FISHING LTD→
SC608073 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
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
———————
SGM FISHING LTD→
SC877303 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
SHAND FARMS LIMITED→
SC163484 · est 1996 · no financials extracted
————30y——
SHANETH LIMITED→
SC242276 · est 2003 · no financials extracted
————23y——
SHANNON FISHING LIMITED→
SC157000 · est 1995 · no financials extracted
————31y——
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
Incorporated2004-05-28
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC03110 — SIC 03110

Registered office

Kirktown House Kirktown
St Fergus
Peterhead
Aberdeenshire
AB42 3DB
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-11
Last: 2025-05-28

Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)

BUCHAN, Diane→
secretary · appointed 2015-01-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN, Diane→
director · ~43y · appointed 2011-05-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN JNR, John Alexander→
director · ~50y · appointed 2004-05-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN, John→
secretary · appointed 2004-05-28 · resigned 2015-01-13
Resigned
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-05-28 · resigned 2004-05-28
Resigned
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-05-28 · resigned 2004-05-28
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Mortgage1 property25/01/200630/01/2015
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property29/04/200526/01/2015

Recent filings (72 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-03-18
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-03-18
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-03-18