BUCHAN CORPORATE ACTIVITIES LTD.
💤Zombieactive
SC259768 · ltd · incorporated 2003-11-25
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2025
Net worth
£-169.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other sports activities
Sector: Arts, entertainment & recreation
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 1 with DOB)
73
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
55 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £169,747
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£170k
↑ 1.2% YoY
Current Assets
£23k
↑ 93% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-169.7k | £-171.7k |
| Current assets | £22.6k | £11.7k |
| Net assets | £-169.7k | £-171.7k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28➕BUCHAN, Shireen Morag appointedsecretary
- 2023-09-28➖BUCHAN, Helen Noble resignedsecretary
- 2023-09-28📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2023-09-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-25📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-12-18📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2003-11-25🏢Company incorporatedAs BUCHAN CORPORATE ACTIVITIES LTD.
- 2003-11-25➕BUCHAN, James Whyte appointeddirector
- 2003-11-25➕BUCHAN, Helen Noble appointedsecretary
- 2003-11-25➕PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-11-25➖PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-11-25➕PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-11-25➖PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-11-25➕PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-11-25➖PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BUCHAN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
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 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 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
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Whyte Buchan Individual · British · DOB 07/1955 · age 71 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 25/11/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABERDEEN MUAY THAI LIMITED→ SC722857 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABERDEEN RIDING CLUB LIMITED→ SC159535 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| ABIGAIL GRAY DRESSAGE LIMITED→ SC881719 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BOGENRAITH EQUESTRIAN LIMITED→ SC612221 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BON-ACCORD CAMERA CLUB→ SC101004 · est 1986 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| BRAEMAR CASTLE LIMITED→ SC768870 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BREATHING SPACE STUDIO LIMITED→ SC840007 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BUCKIE & DISTRICT FISHING HERITAGE CENTRE LTD.→ SC208241 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| BUTLERS TRAVEL ABDN LTD→ SC870804 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CABIN EQUESTRIAN CENTRE LIMITED→ SC346428 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| CAIRN COMPETITIONS LIMITED→ SC810232 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CALEDONIA TRAVEL LTD→ SC720765 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2003-11-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC93199 — Other sports activities
Registered office
21 Church Street
Cairnbulg
Aberdeenshire
AB43 8YN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-09
Last: 2025-11-25
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
BUCHAN, Shireen Morag→
Activesecretary · appointed 2023-09-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BUCHAN, James Whyte→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2003-11-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BUCHAN, Helen Noble→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-11-25 · resigned 2023-09-28
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-11-25 · resigned 2003-11-25
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-11-25 · resigned 2003-11-25
PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-11-25 · resigned 2003-11-25
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (55 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-29
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2023-09-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-06-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-11-25