HELMSMAN (FISHING) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC313803 · ltd · incorporated 2006-12-21
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
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
£1.23M
book net assets
Opportunity
81/100
Exceptional
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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 exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 81/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
6 officers (5 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
8 connected companies via shared directors
69
Filing history
58 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
81/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,233,327

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£1.2m
↑ 29% YoY
Current Assets
£1.3m
↑ 32% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£261k£523k£784k£1.0m£1.3mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£1.23M£959.1k
Current assets£1.31M£987.6k
Net assets£1.23M£959.1k

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal 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
5
filings
  • • 3 officers
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-12
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  2. 2026-01-09
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2026-01-09
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  4. 2026-01-09
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2025-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-09-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-09-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-09-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-12-02
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  10. 2021-12-02
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  11. 2021-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2021-06-16
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  13. 2021-06-16
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  14. 2020-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-09-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-09-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-12-28
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2011-09-01
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Caroline appointed
    director
  19. 2006-12-21
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HELMSMAN (FISHING) LIMITED
  20. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Alexander-John appointed
    secretary
  21. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Alexander appointed
    director
  22. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Alexander-John appointed
    director
  23. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    BUCHAN, Freda Christine appointed
    director
  24. 2006-12-21
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2006-12-21
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

63/100
Strong succession signal

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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
Mr Alexander-John Buchan
Individual · British · DOB 05/1988 · age 38
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting01/11/2021
Mrs Caroline Buchan
Individual · British · DOB 10/1989 · age 37
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Alexander John Buchanceased 06/04/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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
EAST COAST VINERS (PEAS AND BEANS) LIMITED→
SC465480 · est 2013
£8.08M
£6.21M–£9.94M
£13.37M—180012y8579y
TREETOP FORESTRY LIMITED→
SC292083 · est 2005
£5.00M
£3.85M–£6.15M
£12.98M—460020y8772y
ALTNAHARRA ESTATE LIMITED→
SC228455 · est 2002
£634.2k
£487.8k–£780.5k
——824y8571y
CHALLENGE FISHING COMPANY LIMITED→
SC192237 · est 1998
———627y8369y
FORTRIE FARMS LIMITED→
SC158055 · est 1995
———1031y8376y
GARDINER ICM LIMITED→
SC197812 · est 1999
——£2.60M—26y8364y
LORANTHUS FISHING COMPANY LIMITED→
SC312585 · est 2006
———019y8370y
M B AQUARIUS LIMITED→
SC259115 · est 2003
———022y8370y
M.V. QUANTUS LIMITED→
SC150141 · est 1994
——£32.29M—32y8369y
MEARNS TRACTORS LIMITED→
SC261246 · est 2003
———122y8362y
SHANNON FISHING LIMITED→
SC157000 · est 1995
——£24.40M—31y8379y
UNITED FISH SELLING LIMITED→
SC077168 · est 1982
———20044y8372y
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
Incorporated2006-12-21
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC03110 — SIC 03110

Registered office

28 Broad Street
Peterhead
AB42 1BY

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-04
Last: 2025-12-21

Officers (5 active · 1 resigned)

BUCHAN, Alexander-John→
secretary · appointed 2006-12-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN, Alexander→
director · ~59y · appointed 2006-12-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN, Alexander-John→
director · ~38y · appointed 2006-12-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN, Caroline→
director · ~37y · appointed 2011-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUCHAN, Freda Christine→
director · ~57y · appointed 2006-12-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2006-12-21 · resigned 2006-12-21
Resigned

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

Recent filings (58 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-12
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-09
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-01-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-05
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2021-12-02
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-12-02