WARDROP ASSOCIATES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC439700 · ltd · incorporated 2013-01-07
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 steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Urban planning and landscape architectural activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (57/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
28 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
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-01-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-01-19📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2013-01-07🏢Company incorporatedAs WARDROP ASSOCIATES LIMITED
- 2013-01-07➕WARDROP, Catherine Jane appointeddirector
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 "WARDROP" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Catherine Jane Wardrop Individual · British · DOB 07/1967 · age 59 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 01/07/2016 |
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 · Professional services · KY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANCER RECRUITMENT LTD.→ SC205893 · est 2000 | — | — | — | 5200 | 26y | 83 | 62y |
| FERSA LTD→ SC219538 · est 2001 | — | — | — | 4 | 25y | 83 | 63y |
| FLORIDRON LIMITED→ SC132297 · est 1991 | — | — | £747.5k | — | 35y | 83 | 69y |
| LAURENCE GOULD PARTNERSHIP LIMITED→ SC124767 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | 83 | 72y |
| PHOTOSYNERGY LIMITED→ SC220986 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | 83 | 58y |
| PVX LIMITED→ SC397170 · est 2011 | — | — | £144.0k | — | 15y | 83 | 59y |
| AVENUE SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC147452 · est 1993 | — | — | £87.8k | — | 32y | 82 | 73y |
| BALGAY FARMING COMPANY LIMITED→ SC093170 · est 1985 | — | — | — | 200 | 41y | 82 | 79y |
| CAIRNSMILL LIMITED→ SC144163 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | 82 | 74y |
| CDLH LIMITED→ SC379307 · est 2010 | — | — | — | 100 | 16y | 82 | 67y |
| DRYBURGH ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ SC367732 · est 2009 | — | — | — | 900 | 16y | 82 | 68y |
| FASTTRAC DESIGN LIMITED→ SC297992 · est 2006 | — | — | £4.3k | — | 20y | 82 | 65y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated2013-01-07
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC71112 — Urban planning and landscape architectural activities
Registered office
G6 The Granary Business Centre
Coal Road
Cupar
Fife
KY15 5YQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-21
Last: 2026-01-07
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
WARDROP, Catherine Jane→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2013-01-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (28 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-01-15