HIGHLAND BODYSHOP LTD

💤Zombieactive
SC273214 · ltd · incorporated 2004-09-10
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
—
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Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£148.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 33170
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 18.5y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 18.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
63 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 £148,516

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£9k
Net Worth
£149k
↑ 8.8% YoY
Current Assets
£15k
↑ 25% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£30k£59k£89k£119k£149kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£201.5k£195.6k
Current assets£14.6k£11.6k
Cash£8.5k—
Debtors£6.0k£11.6k
Net assets£148.5k£136.5k

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 (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-08-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-08-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-10-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-08-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-03-15
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  10. 2018-03-15
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  11. 2017-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2017-09-26
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  13. 2017-07-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2017-07-19
    📄
    capital-cancellation-shares
    capital · SH06
  15. 2017-07-19
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  16. 2017-07-19
    📄
    capital-return-purchase-own-shares
    capital · SH03
  17. 2017-06-29
    ➖
    CORMACK, Richard resigned
    director
  18. 2011-11-30
    ➖
    CORMACK, Richard resigned
    secretary
  19. 2008-04-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  20. 2007-12-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2007-12-01
    ➕
    CORMACK, Richard appointed
    director
  22. 2004-09-14
    ➖
    FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  23. 2004-09-14
    ➖
    FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  24. 2004-09-10
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HIGHLAND BODYSHOP LTD
  25. 2004-09-10
    ➕
    CRUICKSHANK, Philip Roy appointed
    director
  26. 2004-09-10
    ➕
    CORMACK, Richard appointed
    secretary
  27. 2004-09-10
    ➕
    FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2004-09-10
    ➕
    FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

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 73 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong 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.
  • 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Shane Cruickshank
Individual · British · DOB 09/1976 · age 50
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting14/02/2018
Mr Phillip Roy Cruickshank
Individual · British · DOB 01/1953 · age 73
25–50%
25–50%board controlsig. influence25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · significant influence06/04/2016
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Richard Cormackceased 28/06/2017· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · significant influence

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 · Manufacturing · IV postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
GAEL FORCE GROUP LIMITED→
SC229244 · est 2002
£23.82M
£18.53M–£29.11M
——170024y8362y
GAEL FORCE ENGINEERING LIMITED→
SC394817 · est 2011
£1.26M
£977.0k–£1.54M
——470015y8262y
HENDRY HYDRAULICS LIMITED→
SC059511 · est 1976
£331.6k
£257.9k–£405.3k
——9150y8775y
ANTA SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC156285 · est 1995
———3031y8369y
JAMES JOHNSTON & CO. OF ELGIN LIMITED→
SC022553 · est 1943 · no financials extracted
————82y8370y
MUIRTON CONTROL & AUTOMATION LTD→
SC395862 · est 2011
——£418.0k—15y8358y
MUNRO SAWMILLS LTD.→
SC228923 · est 2002 · no financials extracted
————24y8376y
STRATH PRINT LTD.→
SC205018 · est 2000
——£12.4k—26y8374y
INVERFAB LTD.→
SC223907 · est 2001
——£537.1k—24y8280y
MACKAY STEELWORK & CLADDING LIMITED→
SC161195 · est 1995
——£3.98M—30y8258y
MARINE DIESEL SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LTD→
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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
Incorporated2004-09-10
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC33170 — SIC 33170

Registered office

29 Henderson Drive
Inverness
IV1 1TR

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-22
Last: 2025-09-08

Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)

CRUICKSHANK, Philip Roy→
director · ~73y · appointed 2004-09-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CORMACK, Richard→
secretary · appointed 2004-09-10 · resigned 2011-11-30
Resigned
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-09-10 · resigned 2004-09-14
Resigned
CORMACK, Richard→
director · ~52y · appointed 2007-12-01 · resigned 2017-06-29
Resigned
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-09-10 · resigned 2004-09-14
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property24/04/2008—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property17/12/2007—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (63 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-08-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-10-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-09-20