SOUTHERN UPLAND LIMITED
Opportunity 78/100 (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 (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1000 | 700 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (15 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-30📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2014-10-07🏢Company incorporatedAs SOUTHERN UPLAND LIMITED
- 2014-10-07➕ARMSTRONG, Brian appointeddirector
- 2014-10-07📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Brian Armstrong Individual · Scottish · DOB 07/1967 · age 59 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 30/06/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 0 resigned)
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