IAN RITCHIE (FISHING) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC297427 · ltd · incorporated 2006-02-20
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 Apr 2025
Net worth
£262.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 03110
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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 (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
80 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £262,698
Net assets shrinking
Down £28,975 YoY
Cash YoY
-20%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£105k
↓ 20% YoY
Net Worth
£263k
↓ 9.9% YoY
Current Assets
£340k
↓ 7.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-05 | 2024-04-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £263.9k | £292.9k |
| Current assets | £340.2k | £366.6k |
| Cash | £104.9k | £130.5k |
| Debtors | £235.3k | £236.1k |
| Net assets | £262.7k | £291.7k |
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
6
filings
- • 3 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
7
filings
- • 3 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-29📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-01-29📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-29📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2026-01-29📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-28➖RITCHIE, Angela resignedsecretary
- 2026-01-28➖RITCHIE, Angela resigneddirector
- 2025-12-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-02-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-02-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-02-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-10-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-10-25📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-21📍change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2022-02-22📍change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2022-01-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2006-02-20🏢Company incorporatedAs IAN RITCHIE (FISHING) LIMITED
- 2006-02-20➕RITCHIE, Ian James appointeddirector
- 2006-02-20➕RITCHIE, Angela appointedsecretary
- 2006-02-20➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-02-20➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-02-20➕RITCHIE, Angela appointeddirector
- 2006-02-20➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2006-02-20➖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 "RITCHIE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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
1 med ·2 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: RITCHIE, Angela resigned 2026-01-28; RITCHIE, Angela resigned 2026-01-28
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ian James Ritchie Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Angela Ritchieceased 28/01/2026· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FYVIE ESTATE MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ SC052080 · est 1972 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 53y | — | — |
| GRAMPIAN AGRICULTURAL SERVICES LTD.→ SC294646 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| GROUND BOUND LTD→ SC853435 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HAPPY HOG LTD→ SC713332 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| IAN G DONALD (POTATOES) LTD→ SC331783 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| IAN R MACKIE LTD.→ SC242421 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| INICIO-FRESCO LIMITED→ SC447307 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| INNES FARMS LIMITED→ SC438543 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| INVERQUHOMERY FARM LIMITED→ SC157211 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| J GATT FISHING LTD→ SC843816 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| J. & D. HENDERSON (BRIDGETON) LIMITED→ SC059910 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| J. DOUGLAS FOWLIE LIMITED→ SC157213 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-02-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC03110 — SIC 03110
Registered office
Middlemuir
Muir Road, Memsie
Fraserburgh
AB43 7AN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-05
Last made up to: 2025-04-05
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-06
Last: 2026-02-20
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
RITCHIE, Ian James→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2006-02-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RITCHIE, Angela→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-02-20 · resigned 2026-01-28
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2006-02-20 · resigned 2006-02-20
RITCHIE, Angela→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 2006-02-20 · resigned 2026-01-28
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2006-02-20 · resigned 2006-02-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (80 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-01-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-29
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2026-01-29
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-02-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-02-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-02-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-31
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-11-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-10-25