BRIGHT IDEAS BUSINESS GIFTS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02255635 · ltd · incorporated 1988-05-10
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.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Nov 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 35.2y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 35.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
10 officers (1 active, 10 linked, 7 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
120 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 600 | 600 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals 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 (36 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-07-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-21📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-07📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-02-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-02-06📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-02-06📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-01-23➖FARNFIELD, Timothy Francis resigneddirector
- 2019-01-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-07-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2014-11-04🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2013-08-31➕GARDINER, Richard Peter appointeddirector
- 2013-08-31➖HOPKINS, Ellie resignedsecretary
- 2013-08-31➕FARNFIELD, Timothy Francis appointeddirector
- 2013-08-31➖HOPKINS, Derek Ronald resigneddirector
- 2002-12-05🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2000-06-02➖COLLINS, Paul resignedsecretary
- 2000-06-02➕HOPKINS, Ellie appointedsecretary
- 2000-06-02➖CLARK, David resigneddirector
- 2000-06-02➖COLLINS, Paul resigneddirector
- 1996-12-04➕COLLINS, Paul appointedsecretary
- 1996-12-04➖SODEN, Janet Denise resignedsecretary
- 1996-12-04➕CLARK, David appointeddirector
- 1996-12-04➕COLLINS, Paul appointeddirector
- 1994-10-14➕HOPKINS, Derek Ronald appointeddirector
- 1994-10-14➖MAJOR, Colin Edward resigneddirector
- 1992-06-30➖ENGERING, Jennifer Margaret resigneddirector
- 1991-05-03🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Yorkshire Bank PLC.
- 1988-05-10🏢Company incorporatedAs BRIGHT IDEAS BUSINESS GIFTS LIMITED
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. 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 13 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 38 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
cleanNo 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%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Richard Peter Gardiner Individual · British · DOB 06/1968 · age 58 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 07/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Timothy Francis Farnfieldceased 23/01/2019· 25-50% shares
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 · Wholesale & distribution · GL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BELVEDERE STONE LTD.→ 12060659 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BIBURY FINE FOODS LIMITED→ 12886814 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BOISWOOD LTD→ 02390228 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| BOOST VENTILATION LTD→ 14274505 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BREWHOUSE BREWING CO LTD→ 15508232 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BRILLIANT STONE LTD→ 15849509 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BRITONFOOD LTD→ 16121500 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BROADWAY WINE COMPANY (TRADE) LTD→ 12251869 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BS HONEY BEES LIMITED→ 12441775 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BUCCI INDUSTRIES UK LIMITED→ 14972765 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BUCKLEY & BEALE LIMITED→ 07491422 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| BUCKOVER COUNTRY LIMITED→ 15543838 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1988-05-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46900 — Non-specialised wholesale trade
Registered office
Unit 2 Oaksey Road
Poole Keynes
Cirencester
GL7 6EA
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-05
Last: 2025-11-21
Officers (1 active · 9 resigned)
GARDINER, Richard Peter→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2013-08-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COLLINS, Paul→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1996-12-04 · resigned 2000-06-02
HOPKINS, Ellie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-06-02 · resigned 2013-08-31
SODEN, Janet Denise→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1996-12-04
CLARK, David→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 1996-12-04 · resigned 2000-06-02
COLLINS, Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 1996-12-04 · resigned 2000-06-02
ENGERING, Jennifer Margaret→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 1992-06-30
FARNFIELD, Timothy Francis→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2013-08-31 · resigned 2019-01-23
HOPKINS, Derek Ronald→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 1994-10-14 · resigned 2013-08-31
MAJOR, Colin Edward→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · resigned 1994-10-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 04/11/2014 | — | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Yorkshire Bank PLC. | Debenture | 1 property | 03/05/1991 | 05/12/2002 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (120 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-11-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-24
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-09-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-05-19
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-02-07