BRUCE METALS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02962377 · ltd · incorporated 1994-08-25
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
£455.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 38210
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 31.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 31.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
7 connected companies via shared directors
66
Filing history
87 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 £455,640
Cash YoY
+0%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£390
~ YoY
Net Worth
£456k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£611k
↑ 8.9% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £455.6k | £455.6k |
| Current assets | £611.4k | £561.4k |
| Cash | £390 | £390 |
| Debtors | £611.0k | £561.0k |
| Net assets | £455.6k | £455.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-21📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2024-01-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-01-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-01-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-01-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-01-17📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2023-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2008-09-23➖DAUGHTREY, Laurence Stephen resigneddirector
- 2008-05-12➖GRANT, Edward resigneddirector
- 1999-06-01➕DAUGHTREY, Laurence Stephen appointeddirector
- 1995-04-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1994-08-25🏢Company incorporatedAs BRUCE METALS LIMITED
- 1994-08-25➕BRUCE, Richard Stuart appointedsecretary
- 1994-08-25➕BRUCE, Richard Stuart appointeddirector
- 1994-08-25➕HARRISON, Irene Lesley appointednominee-secretary
- 1994-08-25➖HARRISON, Irene Lesley resignednominee-secretary
- 1994-08-25➕GRANT, Edward appointeddirector
- 1994-08-25➕BUSINESS INFORMATION RESEARCH & REPORTING LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1994-08-25➖BUSINESS INFORMATION RESEARCH & REPORTING LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
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 "BRUCE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
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 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 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 Stuart Bruce Individual · British · DOB 06/1947 · age 79 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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
Active · Energy & utilities · S postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 HILLS WASTE LTD→ 15082653 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ADVANCED METAL RECOVERY LTD→ 14536499 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALCEMI STORAGE DEVELOPMENTS 6 LIMITED→ 13848257 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ANDINA ENERGIES PLC→ 08095058 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| BARDON ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITED→ 02089950 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| BASURA (INTERNATIONAL) LTD→ 11587667 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BLS WASTE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 12901917 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BLYTH ENERGY LIMITED→ 15897757 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BRADWELL SKIP SERVICES LIMITED→ 03805443 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| BRAMPTON ESTATES MAINTENANCE LTD→ 14731465 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BULK LTD→ 07800588 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BULK METALS LIMITED→ 06942950 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
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
Typeltd
Incorporated1994-08-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC38210 — SIC 38210
Registered office
March Street
Sheffield
S9 5DQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-08
Last: 2025-08-25
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
BRUCE, Richard Stuart→
Activesecretary · appointed 1994-08-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRUCE, Richard Stuart→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 1994-08-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HARRISON, Irene Lesley→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1994-08-25 · resigned 1994-08-25
DAUGHTREY, Laurence Stephen→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 1999-06-01 · resigned 2008-09-23
GRANT, Edward→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1994-08-25 · resigned 2008-05-12
BUSINESS INFORMATION RESEARCH & REPORTING LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1994-08-25 · resigned 1994-08-25
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 | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Fixed and floating charge | 1 property | 24/04/1995 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (87 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-22
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-01-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-01-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-01-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-01-17
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-01-17
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-01-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-25