STRAAN CAPITAL LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC269899 · ltd · incorporated 2004-06-25
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£331.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Sound recording and music publishing activities
Sector: Information & communication
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 62090Other information technology service activities
  • 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 68). 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).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 19.6y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 19.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 3 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
9 officers (1 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
77 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £331,937
Net assets shrinking
Down £10,601 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£332k
↓ 3.1% YoY
Current Assets
£211
↓ 85% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£69k£137k£206k£274k£343kSept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-30
Total assets£331.9k£363.5k
Current assets£211£1.4k
Net assets£331.9k£342.5k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

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 (36 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-11-01
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  5. 2022-11-01
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2022-11-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-04-06
    ➖
    MCSHERRY, Jamie Douglas resigned
    director
  8. 2022-04-06
    ➖
    MCSHERRY, Scott Robert resigned
    director
  9. 2021-10-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-04-20
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  11. 2020-11-17
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  12. 2020-10-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-04-10
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
    accounts · AA01
  15. 2018-04-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-04-03
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  17. 2018-03-08
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2018-03-08
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  19. 2018-03-01
    ➕
    MCSHERRY, Jamie Douglas appointed
    director
  20. 2018-03-01
    ➕
    MCSHERRY, Scott Robert appointed
    director
  21. 2017-09-11
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  22. 2017-06-01
    ➖
    ROBERTSON, Lesley resigned
    secretary
  23. 2017-04-01
    ➖
    MCLAUGHLIN, Thomas resigned
    director
  24. 2017-04-01
    ➖
    STEWART, Hugh resigned
    director
  25. 2010-10-14
    ➖
    MCLAUGHLIN, Thomas resigned
    secretary
  26. 2010-10-14
    ➕
    ROBERTSON, Lesley appointed
    secretary
  27. 2010-10-14
    ➕
    MCLAUGHLIN, Thomas appointed
    director
  28. 2010-10-14
    ➕
    STEWART, Hugh appointed
    director
  29. 2006-11-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  30. 2006-10-03
    ➖
    GOLDIE, Allan Alexander resigned
    secretary
  31. 2006-10-03
    ➕
    MCLAUGHLIN, Thomas appointed
    secretary
  32. 2004-06-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As STRAAN CAPITAL LIMITED
  33. 2004-06-25
    ➕
    MCSHERRY, Charles appointed
    director
  34. 2004-06-25
    ➕
    GOLDIE, Allan Alexander appointed
    secretary
  35. 2004-06-25
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  36. 2004-06-25
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • 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.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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

clean
No 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Charles Mcsherry
Individual · British · DOB 11/1958 · age 68
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Hugh Stewartceased 01/04/2017· 25-50% shares

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 →

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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
Incorporated2004-06-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC59200 — Sound recording and music publishing activities

Registered office

Straan Studios
The Kennels
Balquhidder
Stirling
FK19 8PB
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-06
Last: 2026-01-23

Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)

MCSHERRY, Charles→
director · ~68y · appointed 2004-06-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GOLDIE, Allan Alexander→
secretary · appointed 2004-06-25 · resigned 2006-10-03
Resigned
MCLAUGHLIN, Thomas→
secretary · appointed 2006-10-03 · resigned 2010-10-14
Resigned
ROBERTSON, Lesley→
secretary · appointed 2010-10-14 · resigned 2017-06-01
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-06-25 · resigned 2004-06-25
Resigned
MCLAUGHLIN, Thomas→
director · ~57y · appointed 2010-10-14 · resigned 2017-04-01
Resigned
MCSHERRY, Jamie Douglas→
director · ~33y · appointed 2018-03-01 · resigned 2022-04-06
Resigned
MCSHERRY, Scott Robert→
director · ~31y · appointed 2018-03-01 · resigned 2022-04-06
Resigned
STEWART, Hugh→
director · ~69y · appointed 2010-10-14 · resigned 2017-04-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property07/11/200611/09/2017

Recent filings (77 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-11-01
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-04-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-11-17