CASTLETON FRUIT LTD.
📉Decliningactive
SC369372 · ltd · incorporated 2009-11-30
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Opportunity decay
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
- · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
- · Currently "declining"
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
£15.34M
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: leverage-led grower with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (78/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 11.8y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (81/100)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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (4 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
49 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →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
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Profitable
Profit before tax £437,512
Turnover YoY
-5%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £15.34M | £16.19M |
| Gross profit | £935.7k | £1.43M |
| Operating profit | £544.0k | £815.9k |
| Profit before tax | £437.5k | £659.8k |
| Average employees | 30100 | 34300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
4 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
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 mortgage
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-06➕MITCHELL, Anna appointeddirector
- 2026-02-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-12-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-11-28🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money)
- 2025-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-11📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-10-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-01➕WALTHAM, James John appointeddirector
- 2020-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-12-20🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2016-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-10📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-02-09🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2014-07-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2009-11-30🏢Company incorporatedAs CASTLETON FRUIT LTD.
- 2009-11-30➕MITCHELL, Anna appointedsecretary
- 2009-11-30➕MITCHELL, Ross James appointeddirector
- 2009-11-30➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-11-30➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-11-30➕MABBOTT, Stephen George appointeddirector
- 2009-11-30➖MABBOTT, Stephen George resigneddirector
Owner dependency
68/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
43/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ross James Mitchell Individual · British · DOB 01/1981 · age 45 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 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 · Trade services · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM/MC SERVICES LTD→ SC644549 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CN FITNESS LTD→ SC497545 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| CNK OIL AND GAS SERVICES LTD→ SC850840 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COCOCARAMEL LTD→ SC743774 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| COLLECTIVE STUDIOS HAIR AND BEAUTY LIMITED→ SC811443 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| COLLIE ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS LIMITED→ SC444912 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| COLSEA SYSTEMS LTD→ SC438398 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| COMPASS MBA LTD→ SC413103 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CONNECT SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC849469 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COOPER NISBET HORTICULTURE LTD→ SC848212 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CORMACK CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC444290 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| COTBURN WIND ENERGY LIMITED→ SC384243 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2009-11-30
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Castleton Farm
Fordoun
Kincardineshire
AB30 1JX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-14
Last: 2025-11-30
Officers (4 active · 2 resigned)
Active
MITCHELL, Anna→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2026-02-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MITCHELL, Ross James→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2009-11-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WALTHAM, James John→
Activedirector · ~52y · appointed 2021-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2009-11-30 · resigned 2009-11-30
MABBOTT, Stephen George→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 2009-11-30 · resigned 2009-11-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) | A registered charge | 1 property | 28/11/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 20/12/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 09/02/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 14/07/2014 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (49 total)
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-02-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-03
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-28
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-01-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-22