ARBUCKLE SOFT FRUIT LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC223757 · ltd · incorporated 2001-09-27
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 2.6y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Newest facility, 2.6 years old — likely still in initial term.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (3 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
65 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-10📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-09-21🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Sunshine Project 01 Limited
- 2023-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-12-10📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2020-06-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-12📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2015-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2001-09-27🏢Company incorporatedAs ARBUCKLE SOFT FRUIT LIMITED
- 2001-09-27➕ARBUCKLE, Susan Currie appointedsecretary
- 2001-09-27➕ARBUCKLE, Peter Alston appointeddirector
- 2001-09-27➕ARBUCKLE, Susan Currie appointeddirector
- 2001-09-27➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-09-27➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
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 "ARBUCKLE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — 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 73 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 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Susan Currie Arbuckle Individual · British · DOB 02/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 27/09/2016 |
Mr Peter Alston Arbuckle Individual · British · DOB 06/1953 · age 73 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 27/09/2016 |
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 · Agriculture · DD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARDEN LIVESTOCK LIMITED→ SC281983 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| CHERRYTREES DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ SC162671 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| DON AGRI SERVICES LIMITED→ SC311614 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| DRONLEY FARMING LTD→ SC535245 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DUKESWOOD NURSERY LIMITED→ SC483800 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| EAST PITKIERIE LIMITED→ SC614118 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EDINBURGH LIVERY LIMITED→ SC549491 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| EPIGENETICA LIMITED→ SC605559 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| FIMM POTATOES LTD→ SC386777 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| FORDHOUSE FARMS LIMITED→ SC054740 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| G.B. PATTULLO & SONS LIMITED→ SC029490 · est 1953 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 72y | — | — |
| GAMRIE FARMS LIMITED→ SC330346 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-09-27
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
14 City Quay
Dundee
DD1 3JA
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-11
Last: 2025-09-27
Officers (3 active · 1 resigned)
ARBUCKLE, Susan Currie→
Activesecretary · appointed 2001-09-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ARBUCKLE, Peter Alston→
Activedirector · ~73y · appointed 2001-09-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ARBUCKLE, Susan Currie→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2001-09-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-09-27 · resigned 2001-09-27
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Sunshine Project 01 Sunshine Project 01 Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 21/09/2023 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (65 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-01
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-13
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-04-01
change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
accounts · AA01
2020-12-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-01