A. M. HARPER
💤Zombieactive
SC448335 · private-unlimited · incorporated 2013-04-23
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Public houses and bars
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 78-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 78). 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 (55/100)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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
1 officers (1 active, 1 linked, 1 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
15 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
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 (8 events)Click to expand
- 2022-11-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2016-04-25📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-04-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-06-05📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2014-05-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-04-23🏢Company incorporatedAs A. M. HARPER
- 2013-04-23➕HARPER, Alexander Mcleod appointeddirector
- 2013-04-23📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
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 "HARPER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 13 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
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 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander Mcleod Harper Individual · British · DOB 03/1948 · age 78 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Ann Helen Harper Individual · British · DOB 12/1947 · age 79 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59DN LIMITED→ SC790959 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABB HOSPITALITY LTD→ SC880854 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACHVARASDAL LODGES LTD→ SC805700 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AMAKIM LTD→ SC809500 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AYRE HOTEL (KIRKWALL) LIMITED→ SC199961 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| CAITHNESS PROPERTIES LTD→ SC857545 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAPILLA TAPAS LIMITED→ SC858254 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CLYNE TRADING LTD→ SC844785 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DEOVOLENTE HOSPITALITY LTD→ SC692492 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DERYA'S CAFE LIMITED→ SC668669 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DMSOFORKNEY LTD→ SC810754 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DORNOCH PODS LTD→ SC817720 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Typeprivate-unlimited
Incorporated2013-04-23
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC56302 — Public houses and bars
Registered office
1 Sir John's Square
Thurso
Caithness
KW14 7AN
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: —
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-07
Last: 2025-04-23
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
HARPER, Alexander Mcleod→
Activedirector · ~78y · appointed 2013-04-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (15 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-02
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-11-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2018-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2017-05-08
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2016-04-25
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2015-04-28
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2014-06-05
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2014-05-07
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2013-04-23