HUNTER SEARCH RECRUITMENT LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC397643 · ltd · incorporated 2011-04-13
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.
Why now
Window opening · high confidence
More negotiable than before — 4 signals weakening over the last 30 days.
  • · Hygiene score: 90 → 45
  • · Bankability: 75 → 55
  • · Deal-killer verdict: workable → complicated
  • · Opportunity score: 75 → 63
Opportunity decay
softening · 6-months
Softening — cumulative signals suggest this becomes more negotiable over the next 3–6 months.
  • · 4 recent signals weakening vs 0 strengthening
What changed my view
Last 30 days

Picture worsened over the last 30 days — 4 negative signals vs 0 positive.

  • ↓Deal-killer verdict: workable → complicated
  • ↓Opportunity score: 75 → 63
  • ↓Hygiene score: 90 → 45
  • ↓Bankability: 75 → 55
  • ·Distress / opportunity: avoid → speculative
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 May 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
63/100
Worth a look
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 78109Other activities of employment placement agencies
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 55/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (38/100).

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, 2 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
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
36 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
63/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
55
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0May 2023May 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-05-312023-05-31
Average employees200200

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
3
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 90 days
4
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
4
filings
  • • 2 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-07-10
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2026-07-10
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  3. 2026-07-10
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  4. 2026-06-22
    ➕
    HUNTER, Heather appointed
    director
  5. 2026-06-22
    ➖
    HUNTER, Ewan resigned
    director
  6. 2025-02-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-01-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-02-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-01-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-03-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-02-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-02-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-02-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-05-10
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-02-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2015-04-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2011-04-13
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HUNTER SEARCH RECRUITMENT LTD.
  19. 2011-04-13
    ➕
    HUNTER, Heather appointed
    secretary
  20. 2011-04-13
    ➕
    HUNTER, Ewan appointed
    director

Owner dependency

90/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HUNTER" — strong identity link between founder and business.

Succession & seller-readiness

45/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

1 high ·
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-05-31

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Heather Hunter
Individual · British · DOB 03/1974 · age 52
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Ewan Hunterceased 22/06/2026· 50-75% shares

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

Similar companies

Active · Professional services · EH postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES EDINBURGH LIMITED→
SC091725 · est 1985
£131.60M
£96.97M–£166.24M
£135.39M—13590041y8567y
ROBERTSON EDUCATION (ABERDEENSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC209010 · est 2000
£5.47M
£4.03M–£6.91M
——025y8560y
DSF (2003) LIMITED→
SC144009 · est 1993
£4.70M
£3.46M–£5.93M
——733y8761y
FCC (EAST AYRSHIRE) HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC300470 · est 2006
£3.99M
£2.94M–£5.03M
——020y8760y
NWH HOLDINGS LIMITED→
SC303441 · est 2006
£3.67M
£2.70M–£4.64M
——37320y8861y
BLYTH & BLYTH CONSULTING ENGINEERS LIMITED→
SC241155 · est 2002
£2.78M
£2.05M–£3.52M
——9323y8785y
SIBCAS LIMITED→
SC052604 · est 1973
£1.88M
£1.39M–£2.38M
——16553y8868y
HORIZON (GP) LIMITED→
SC493523 · est 2014
£45.2k
£33.3k–£57.1k
——611y9566y
3 ED HOLDINGS 2 LIMITED→
SC328040 · est 2007 · no financials extracted
————18y8365y
ACCOUNTING & TAXATION SERVICE LTD→
SC360357 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
————17y8358y
BRINDLEY ASSOCIATES LIMITED→
SC290803 · est 2005
———130020y8359y
CALECON (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→
SC325563 · est 2007
———019y8364y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated2011-04-13
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management

Registered office

21 Lansdowne Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 5EH

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 2024-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-11
Last: 2026-04-27

Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)

HUNTER, Heather→
secretary · appointed 2011-04-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HUNTER, Heather→
director · ~52y · appointed 2026-06-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HUNTER, Ewan→
director · ~52y · appointed 2011-04-13 · resigned 2026-06-22
Resigned

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

Recent filings (36 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-07-10
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-07-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-05