JOHN O.V. LTD.

💤Zombieactive

SC268535 · ltd · incorporated 2004-05-28

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 Oct 2025

Net worth

£168.1k

book net assets

Opportunity

82/100

Exceptional

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What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 03110

Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing

Investor take

Pursue

Asset-holding vehicle with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 74). 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

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.
· Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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

Lenders & charges

2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)

Directors & officers

4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

2 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

70 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

82/100Exceptional

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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared

Positive net assets

Net assets £168,055

Net assets shrinking

Down £3,376 YoY

Cash YoY

+23%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£6k

↑ 23% YoY

Net Worth

£168k

↓ 2.0% YoY

Current Assets

£139k

↑ 1.6% YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown

Metric	2025-10-31	2024-10-31
Total assets	£168.1k	£171.4k
Current assets	£139.1k	£136.8k
Cash	£5.9k	£4.8k
Debtors	£133.1k	£132.0k
Net assets	£168.1k	£171.4k

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

filing

• 1 accounts

Last 90 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand

2026-04-13
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-07
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-04
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-08-13
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-07-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-07-24
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accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-10-08
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2018-10-08
📄
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2018-10-08
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2018-10-08
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2018-10-08
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2018-10-08
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2018-05-15
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2018-05-15
📄
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2018-05-15
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2015-01-30
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2015-01-26
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2006-01-25
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2005-04-29
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
2004-05-28
🏢
Company incorporated
As JOHN O.V. LTD.
2004-05-28
➕
BUCHAN, Helen Nicoll appointed
secretary
2004-05-28
➕
BUCHAN, John appointed
director
2004-05-28
➕
BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-05-28
➖
BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
corporate-nominee-secretary
2004-05-28
➕
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
corporate-nominee-director
2004-05-28
➖
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resigned
corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100

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

+Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
+Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100

Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 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 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

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr John Buchan Individual · British · DOB 05/1952 · age 74	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	06/04/2016
Mrs Helen Nicoll Buchan Individual · British · DOB 03/1954 · age 72	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	06/04/2016

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

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
JWFB LIMITED→ SC312553 · est 2006 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	19y	—	—
K C R C LIMITED→ SC265823 · est 2004 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—
KEVIN WOOD FISHING LIMITED→ SC296900 · est 2006 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	20y	—	—
KILORAN SHELLFISH LTD→ SC672229 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
KINERMONY LIMITED→ SC024445 · est 1946 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	79y	—	—
KIRDANA LTD.→ SC296163 · est 2006 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	20y	—	—
KLONDYKE FISHING COMPANY LIMITED→ SC076707 · est 1981 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	44y	—	—
KNOCKIEHILL ESTATES LTD.→ SC289689 · est 2005 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	20y	—	—
LIGHTHOUSE FISHING COMPANY LIMITED→ SC685485 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
LUPUS ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED→ SC208208 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	25y	—	—
M B AQUARIUS LIMITED→ SC259115 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	—	—
M CARDNO FISHING LTD→ SC466419 · est 2013 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	12y	—	—

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

Incorporated2004-05-28

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC03110 — SIC 03110

Registered office

Ovs Hoose

Blackhills

Peterhead

AB42 3LL

Scotland

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-07-31

Last made up to: 2025-10-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-05-31

Last: 2025-05-17

Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)

BUCHAN, Helen Nicoll→

secretary · appointed 2004-05-28

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

BUCHAN, John→

director · ~74y · appointed 2004-05-28

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

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

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown

			Type	Properties
	satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC	Mortgage	1 property	25/01/2006	30/01/2015
	satisfied	Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC	Bond & floating charge	1 property	29/04/2005	26/01/2015

Recent filings (70 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2026-04-13

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2025-08-07

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2025-05-30

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2024-05-27

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2024-03-18

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2023-08-04

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2023-05-23

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2022-07-25

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2022-05-18

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2021-08-13

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2021-05-24

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2020-07-22

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2020-05-18

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2019-07-24

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2019-07-05