D.S. CARRIERS LTD.

💤Zombieactive
SC353512 · ltd · incorporated 2009-01-15
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 2026
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Jan 2025Jan 2026

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2026-01-312025-01-31
Average employees400400

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-10-10
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2023-03-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-03-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-06-23
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  9. 2020-06-23
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  10. 2020-04-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-04-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-04-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-05-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-01-18
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2014-02-03
    ➕
    STRATHEARN, Maureen appointed
    secretary
  17. 2014-02-03
    ➖
    STRATHEARN, Sean resigned
    secretary
  18. 2013-06-01
    ➖
    STRATHEARN, Christopher resigned
    director
  19. 2011-12-31
    ➖
    STRATHEARN, Donald Christopher resigned
    director
  20. 2011-12-31
    ➖
    STRATHEARN, Steven resigned
    director
  21. 2009-02-24
    ➕
    STRATHEARN, Christopher appointed
    director
  22. 2009-01-15
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As D.S. CARRIERS LTD.
  23. 2009-01-15
    ➕
    STRATHEARN, Sean appointed
    director
  24. 2009-01-15
    ➕
    STRATHEARN, Sean appointed
    secretary
  25. 2009-01-15
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2009-01-15
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2009-01-15
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen George appointed
    director
  28. 2009-01-15
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen George resigned
    director
  29. 2009-01-15
    ➕
    STRATHEARN, Donald Christopher appointed
    director
  30. 2009-01-15
    ➕
    STRATHEARN, Steven appointed
    director

Owner dependency

85/100
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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

68/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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 · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Sean Strathearn
Individual · British · DOB 05/1985 · age 41
75–100%
—75-100% shares01/07/2016

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

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
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SC032077 · est 1957
£18.37M
£13.78M–£22.96M
——34269y8889y
STEDER GROUP (UK) LIMITED→
SC514277 · est 2015
£13.09M
£9.82M–£16.37M
——6410y8559y
TBR GLOBAL LIMITED→
SC466687 · est 2014
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——2312y8363y
ACCIDON'T LIMITED→
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——826y8261y
AIR CHARTER SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC303971 · est 2006
——£574.2k—19y8365y
B & G CONTRACTS LIMITED→
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——£600.0k—22y8371y
GARELOCHHEAD MINIBUSES & COACHES LTD.→
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———340026y8360y
ABBEY COACHES LTD.→
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———200025y8273y
ALBATRANS (UK) LIMITED→
SC250946 · est 2003
——£3.84M—22y8269y
ALEXANDER MARITIME LTD.→
SC276276 · est 2004
——£3.8k—21y8271y
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——£74.5k—35y8273y
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
Incorporated2009-01-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

188 C/O Connolly Accountants
188
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow
G64 1DW
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-10-31
Last made up to: 2026-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-03
Last: 2025-10-20

Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)

STRATHEARN, Maureen→
secretary · appointed 2014-02-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STRATHEARN, Sean→
director · ~41y · appointed 2009-01-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STRATHEARN, Sean→
secretary · appointed 2009-01-15 · resigned 2014-02-03
Resigned
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2009-01-15 · resigned 2009-01-15
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen George→
director · ~76y · appointed 2009-01-15 · resigned 2009-01-15
Resigned
STRATHEARN, Christopher→
director · ~38y · appointed 2009-02-24 · resigned 2013-06-01
Resigned
STRATHEARN, Donald Christopher→
director · ~52y · appointed 2009-01-15 · resigned 2011-12-31
Resigned
STRATHEARN, Steven→
director · ~50y · appointed 2009-01-15 · resigned 2011-12-31
Resigned

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

Recent filings (61 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-03-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-14
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-06-23
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2020-06-23