CAIRNMOSS (ABERDEEN) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SF000213 · oversea-company · incorporated 1975-04-16
Investment thesis
Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.
Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.
Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 49.8y old — refinance window within 12 months
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
🔔
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Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 89-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 89). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 49.8y

70/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 49.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: low (48/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile
address, no SIC, incorporation date
80
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 2 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
Filing history
68 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.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (53 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-04-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-04-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-09-02
    📄
    appoint-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-appointment-date
    officers · OSAP01
  7. 2021-09-02
    📄
    appoint-corporate-secretary-overseas-company-with-appointment-date
    officers · OSAP04
  8. 2021-09-02
    📄
    termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · OSTM01
  9. 2021-09-02
    📄
    termination-person-secretary-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · OSTM02
  10. 2021-09-02
    📄
    termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · OSTM01
  11. 2021-09-02
    📄
    termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · OSTM01
  12. 2021-08-24
    ➕
    BROWN & MCRAE LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  13. 2021-08-24
    ➕
    BRUCE, Ian James appointed
    director
  14. 2021-08-24
    ➖
    BRUCE, Iris Lynn resigned
    secretary
  15. 2021-08-24
    ➖
    CAMERON, Edward John Davison resigned
    director
  16. 2021-08-24
    ➖
    PEARCE, Marian resigned
    director
  17. 2021-08-24
    ➖
    WELTON-COOK, Robert resigned
    director
  18. 2021-03-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2019-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2018-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  21. 2018-01-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  22. 2017-01-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  23. 2016-02-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  24. 2015-12-11
    📄
    termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · OSTM01
  25. 2015-12-02
    ➖
    BRUCE, Iris Lynn resigned
    director
  26. 2015-04-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  27. 2014-08-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  28. 2014-07-11
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  29. 2014-07-11
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  30. 2013-08-29
    📄
    annual-return-overseas-company
    annual-return · OSTN01
  31. 2013-08-29
    📄
    annual-return-update-with-change-details
    annual-return · OSTN01-CHNG
  32. 2013-08-29
    📄
    annual-return-add-person-authorised-to-accept-service-to-uk-establishment
    annual-return · OSTN01-PAR
  33. 2013-08-29
    📄
    annual-return-update-with-change-details
    annual-return · OSTN01-CHNG
  34. 2000-03-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  35. 2000-03-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  36. 2000-03-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  37. 2000-03-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  38. 2000-03-28
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  39. 1993-01-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  40. 1992-07-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  41. 1990-08-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  42. 1990-08-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  43. 1980-11-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Forward Trust Limited
  44. 1977-05-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  45. 1977-04-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  46. 1976-09-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  47. 1975-04-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CAIRNMOSS (ABERDEEN) LIMITED
  48. 1975-04-16
    ➕
    BRUCE, James Lynn appointed
    director
  49. 1975-04-16
    ➕
    BRUCE, Iris Lynn appointed
    secretary
  50. 1975-04-16
    ➕
    BRUCE, Iris Lynn appointed
    director
Showing most recent 50 of 53 events

Owner dependency

91/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 51 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 89 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 89 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 51 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 51 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 ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

🔒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 →

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D. GEDDES (CONTRACTORS) LIMITED→
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£16.59M
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——1190050y8590y
ABERDEEN JOURNALS LIMITED→
SC015256 · est 1928
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£10.04M–£15.77M
——14397y8576y
SCOTT & FYFE LIMITED→
SC017244 · est 1933
£9.33M
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£21.01M—940093y8762y
PACSON LIMITED→
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MARTIN ALAN HOLDINGS LIMITED→
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D J LAING (CONTRACTS) LIMITED→
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——5742y8779y
LOWS OF DUNDEE LIMITED→
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£1.26M
£946.7k–£1.58M
——2439y8589y
CAMVAC ROCKWELL LIMITED→
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£1.19M
£927.2k–£1.46M
——7128y8460y
BRIGHTSTRAND INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→
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£1.04M
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——1127y8877y
MOFFAT & WILLIAMSON LIMITED→
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——1450048y9372y
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£634.1k
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——110011y8575y
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
Typeoversea-company
Incorporated1975-04-16
Jurisdictionunited-kingdom
Primary SIC—

Registered office

Spring Works High Street
Inverbervie
Montrose
DD10 0RW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

BROWN & MCRAE LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2021-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRUCE, Ian James→
director · ~63y · appointed 2021-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRUCE, James Lynn→
director · ~89y · appointed 1975-04-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRUCE, Iris Lynn→
secretary · appointed 1975-04-16 · resigned 2021-08-24
Resigned
BRUCE, Iris Lynn→
director · appointed 1975-04-16 · resigned 2015-12-02
Resigned
CAMERON, Edward John Davison→
director · appointed 1975-04-16 · resigned 2021-08-24
Resigned
PEARCE, Marian→
director · appointed 1975-04-16 · resigned 2021-08-24
Resigned
WELTON-COOK, Robert→
director · appointed 1975-04-16 · resigned 2021-08-24
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property16/07/199228/03/2000
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property22/08/199028/03/2000
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property17/08/199028/03/2000
satisfied
Forward Trust
Forward Trust Limited
Standard security1 property10/11/198011/07/2014
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property30/05/197714/01/1993
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Standard security1 property06/04/197728/03/2000
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property22/09/197628/03/2000

Recent filings (68 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-06
appoint-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-appointment-date
officers · OSAP01
2021-09-02
appoint-corporate-secretary-overseas-company-with-appointment-date
officers · OSAP04
2021-09-02
termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · OSTM01
2021-09-02
termination-person-secretary-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · OSTM02
2021-09-02
termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · OSTM01
2021-09-02
termination-person-director-overseas-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · OSTM01
2021-09-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2018-01-23