JAMES S. ROBERTSON & SON LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC033717 · ltd · incorporated 1959-03-02
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 42.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Nov 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01500SIC 01500
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. 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 42.9y

70/100
ready

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 42.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

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
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (4 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
111 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
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
100
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£0Nov 2023Nov 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2024-11-282023-11-28
Average employees500400

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (34 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-08-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-07-14
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  3. 2025-07-01
    ➕
    ROBERTSON, James appointed
    director
  4. 2024-08-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-08-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-07-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2023-06-09
    ➖
    ROBERTSON, James Speirs resigned
    director
  8. 2023-01-23
    📄
    capital-name-of-class-of-shares
    capital · SH08
  9. 2023-01-18
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  10. 2022-08-22
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  11. 2022-08-22
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  12. 2022-08-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2022-08-02
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2021-10-17
    ➖
    ROBERTSON, Anne Florence resigned
    director
  15. 2021-08-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2020-09-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2019-08-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2018-11-14
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  19. 2018-11-14
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  20. 2018-11-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2018-11-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2018-08-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  23. 2013-03-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  24. 2012-11-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  25. 2012-11-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  26. 2012-11-08
    ➕
    ROBERTSON, Lynne Anne appointed
    secretary
  27. 2012-11-08
    ➖
    ROBERTSON, Anne Florence resigned
    secretary
  28. 2012-11-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  29. 2012-11-07
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  30. 2002-01-29
    ➕
    ROBERTSON, Lynne Ann appointed
    director
  31. 1988-04-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  32. 1985-04-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  33. 1983-05-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  34. 1959-03-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As JAMES S. ROBERTSON & SON LIMITED

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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ROBERTSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

20/100
No succession signal

No meaningful acquirability indicators from public data.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — ROBERTSON, James (same surname) appointed 2025-07-01. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • 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.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr James Spiers Robertson
Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

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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
Incorporated1959-03-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

Lathrisk Farm
Freuchie
Cupar
Fife
KY15 7HX

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-28
Last made up to: 2024-11-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-02
Last: 2025-07-19

Officers (4 active · 3 resigned)

ROBERTSON, Lynne Anne→
secretary · appointed 2012-11-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROBERTSON, James→
director · ~31y · appointed 2025-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROBERTSON, James Speirs→
director · ~61y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROBERTSON, Lynne Ann→
director · ~59y · appointed 2002-01-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ROBERTSON, Anne Florence→
secretary · resigned 2012-11-08
Resigned
ROBERTSON, Anne Florence→
director · ~90y · resigned 2021-10-17
Resigned
ROBERTSON, James Speirs→
director · ~92y · resigned 2023-06-09
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property09/11/2018—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property09/11/2018—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property21/03/2013—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
Floating charge1 property23/11/2012—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property27/04/198807/11/2012
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property19/04/198507/11/2012
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property16/05/198322/11/2012
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (111 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-01
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-21
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-01-23
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-01-18
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2022-08-22
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-08-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-02
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-08-02