C & E CRUICKSHANK LTD
💤Zombieactive
SC399304 · ltd · incorporated 2011-05-11
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 May 2025
Net worth
£12.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01450
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. 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 (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 14.7y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 14.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
35 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £12,287
Net assets shrinking
Down £2,373 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£12k
↓ 16% YoY
Current Assets
£21k
↑ 6.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £51.7k | £14.7k |
| Current assets | £21.0k | £19.8k |
| Net assets | £12.3k | £14.7k |
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 (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-17📄capital-sale-or-transfer-treasury-shares-with-date-currency-capital-figurecapital · SH04
- 2022-09-21➖CRUICKSHANK, Emma-Louise resigneddirector
- 2022-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-20📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2019-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-07-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-02-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-11📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-08-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2011-05-11🏢Company incorporatedAs C & E CRUICKSHANK LTD
- 2011-05-11➕CRUICKSHANK, Calum Duncan appointeddirector
- 2011-05-11➕CRUICKSHANK, Emma-Louise appointeddirector
Owner dependency
98/100
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 "CRUICKSHANK" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Calum Duncan Cruickshank Individual · British · DOB 02/1964 · age 62 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Emma Louise Cruickshank Individual · British · DOB 05/1971 · age 55 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDW307 LTD→ SC699924 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| S D WEST LIMITED→ SC510850 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| SEANN LIMITED→ SC331316 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| SECUTUS CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC884654 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SIXTY SEVEN ENTERPRISES LTD→ SC666363 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| SJG FISHING LTD→ SC733378 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SOYBURN LIMITED→ SC279771 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| SPEYSIDE AGRICULTURE LTD→ SC695496 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| STEPHEN WISEMAN LTD.→ SC317919 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| STRACATHRO ESTATES LIMITED→ SC129179 · est 1991 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| STRATHBOGIE FARMS LTD→ SC505750 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| SUMMERS SHELLFISH LTD→ SC444456 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-05-11
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01450 — SIC 01450
Registered office
Kirkford
Premnay
Insch
AB52 6QJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-25
Last: 2025-05-11
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
CRUICKSHANK, Calum Duncan→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2011-05-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CRUICKSHANK, Emma-Louise→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2011-05-11 · resigned 2022-09-21
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 | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 11/08/2011 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (35 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-04
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-27
capital-sale-or-transfer-treasury-shares-with-date-currency-capital-figure
capital · SH04
2022-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-02-26