RITCHIE BROTHERS (SCOTLAND) LTD.
⚰️Wound downdissolved
SC080588 · ltd · incorporated 1982-10-27
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 34.3y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
53/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: Construction of other civil engineering projects n.e.c.
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 53/100 (worth a look), bankability 55/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 78). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (50/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 34.3y
55/100
too messy
Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 34.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 45/100 (high).
Data confidence
Overall: low (51/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 7 with DOB)
88
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
93 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
53/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
10
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
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 (39 events)Click to expand
- 2023-12-15⚠️gazette-dissolved-liquidationgazette · GAZ2
- 2023-12-15🏁Company dissolved
- 2023-09-15⚠️liquidation-compulsory-return-final-meeting-court-scotlandinsolvency · WU15(Scot)
- 2017-03-03📄accounts-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AA
- 2012-10-04📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-addressaddress · AD01
- 2012-08-28⚠️liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-scotlandinsolvency · CO4.2(Scot)
- 2012-08-28⚠️liquidation-compulsory-winding-up-order-scotlandinsolvency · 4.2(Scot)
- 2012-07-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-01-11➖CRAINEY, Lynn Elizabeth resigneddirector
- 2012-01-11📄termination-director-company-with-nameofficers · TM01
- 2011-07-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2011-02-02📄termination-director-company-with-nameofficers · TM01
- 2010-10-28➖NOLAN, Mark William resigneddirector
- 2010-07-21📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-07-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2010-07-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2010-04-15📄termination-director-company-with-nameofficers · TM01
- 2010-04-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2009-12-30➖BAIRD, Jacqueline Margaret resigneddirector
- 2009-07-28📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2009-04-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-07-01📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2008-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-06-19📄legacyannual-return · 363s
- 2007-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2007-02-05📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2007-01-01➕CRAINEY, Lynn Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2006-09-08➖HILDITCH, James Wilson resigneddirector
- 2006-08-30📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2006-06-30📄legacyannual-return · 363s
- 2004-09-01➕HILDITCH, James Wilson appointeddirector
- 2004-09-01➕NOLAN, Mark William appointeddirector
- 1992-03-28➕RITCHIE, Norman Steven appointeddirector
- 1992-03-28➕BAIRD, Jacqueline Margaret appointeddirector
- 1992-03-28➖JAMIE, Robert Dickie resigneddirector
- 1992-02-04🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1991-12-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1982-10-27🏢Company incorporatedAs RITCHIE BROTHERS (SCOTLAND) LTD.
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
- +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 "RITCHIE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 34 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — 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 candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 78 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 34 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 43 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
2 high ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2023-12-15
4 insolvency-related filings on record
highFilings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2023-12-15: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2023-09-15: liquidation-compulsory-return-final-meeting-court-scotland
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A C WHYTE & CO LIMITED→ SC054565 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
10 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
Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated1982-10-27
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC42990 — Construction of other civil engineering projects n.e.c.
Registered office
Johnston Carmichael
227 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 2ND
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2016-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 5 resigned)
Active
Active
RITCHIE, Norman Steven→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 1992-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BAIRD, Jacqueline Margaret→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 1992-03-28 · resigned 2009-12-30
CRAINEY, Lynn Elizabeth→
Resigneddirector · ~50y · appointed 2007-01-01 · resigned 2012-01-11
HILDITCH, James Wilson→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2006-09-08
JAMIE, Robert Dickie→
Resigneddirector · ~90y · resigned 1992-03-28
NOLAN, Mark William→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2004-09-01 · resigned 2010-10-28
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 04/02/1992 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 20/12/1991 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (93 total)
gazette-dissolved-liquidation
gazette · GAZ2
2023-12-15
liquidation-compulsory-return-final-meeting-court-scotland
insolvency · WU15(Scot)
2023-09-15
accounts-with-made-up-date
accounts · AA
2017-03-03
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address
address · AD01
2012-10-04
liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-scotland
insolvency · CO4.2(Scot)
2012-08-28
liquidation-compulsory-winding-up-order-scotland
insolvency · 4.2(Scot)
2012-08-28
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2012-07-02
termination-director-company-with-name
officers · TM01
2012-01-11
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2011-07-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2011-06-03
termination-director-company-with-name
officers · TM01
2011-02-02
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-07-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2010-07-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2010-07-21
termination-director-company-with-name
officers · TM01
2010-04-15