FREELAND FREIGHT SERVICE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC059952 · ltd · incorporated 1976-05-04
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 46.3y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
£2.91M
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 6 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (63/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
6 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 46.3y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 46.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
119 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
82
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £2,908,703
Cash YoY
-7%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£793k
↓ 6.5% YoY
Net Worth
£2.9m
↑ 5.0% YoY
Current Assets
£2.0m
↓ 3.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £4.27M | £4.23M |
| Current assets | £2.03M | £2.10M |
| Cash | £792.9k | £848.4k |
| Debtors | £1.23M | £1.24M |
| Net assets | £2.91M | £2.77M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-14📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-05-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-05-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-03-12➕SUTHERLAND, Philip appointeddirector
- 2024-03-12➖FREELAND, Avril resigneddirector
- 2024-03-12➖FREELAND, Derek James resigneddirector
- 2024-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-02-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-mediumaccounts · AA
- 2010-01-25➕LC SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2010-01-25➖STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-10-05🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
- 2008-05-07➖STRONACHS resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2008-05-07➕STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 1996-03-06➕FREELAND, Richard John appointeddirector
- 1989-01-19🔒Charge registered #5Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1987-04-16🔒Charge registered #4Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1986-12-05🔒Charge registered #3Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1984-04-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1979-12-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1976-05-04🏢Company incorporatedAs FREELAND FREIGHT SERVICE LIMITED
Owner dependency
83/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "FREELAND" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
56/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 30 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 low6 live charges
lowHeavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Derek James Freeland Individual · British · DOB 11/1944 · age 82 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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| FRASERBURGH REMOVALS LTD→ SC745043 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| FRASERBURGH SELF STORAGE LTD→ SC736757 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GARY GAULD TRANSPORT LTD.→ SC265677 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
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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
Incorporated1976-05-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Johnstone House
52-54 Rose Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1HA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-24
Last: 2025-11-10
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
LC SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 2010-01-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FREELAND, Richard John→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 1996-03-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SUTHERLAND, Philip→
Activedirector · ~33y · appointed 2024-03-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
STRONACHS→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · resigned 2008-05-07
STRONACHS SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2008-05-07 · resigned 2010-01-25
FREELAND, Avril→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · resigned 2024-03-12
FREELAND, Derek James→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · resigned 2024-03-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
6
Total charges
6
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 05/10/2009 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 19/01/1989 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Deed of variation | 1 property | 16/04/1987 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 05/12/1986 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 18/04/1984 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 24/12/1979 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (119 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-03
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-05-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-05-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-05-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-11-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-11