FORTES ICE CREAM LTD
💤Zombieactive
07906335 · ltd · incorporated 2012-01-11
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£169.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10520
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
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: 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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
43 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £169,937
Net assets shrinking
Down £9,727 YoY
Cash YoY
+51%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£226k
↑ 51% YoY
Net Worth
£170k
↓ 5.4% YoY
Current Assets
£233k
↑ 51% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £169.9k | £179.7k |
| Current assets | £233.0k | £154.8k |
| Cash | £225.5k | £149.2k |
| Debtors | £7.5k | £5.6k |
| Net assets | £169.9k | £179.7k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-07📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-12-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-10-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-12-30📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2023-12-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-12-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-12-16📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2023-12-16📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-12-12➕FORTE, Hannah appointedsecretary
- 2023-12-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2023-12-12📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2023-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-03📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-06📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2012-01-11🏢Company incorporatedAs FORTES ICE CREAM LTD
- 2012-01-11➕FORTE, Richard Anthony Philip appointeddirector
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 "FORTE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 15 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hannah Louise Forte Individual · British · DOB 10/1983 · age 43 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 12/12/2023 |
Mr Richard Anthony Philip Forte Individual · British · DOB 11/1963 · age 63 | 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.
🔒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 · Food & drink · BH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COWDRYS (WIMBORNE ) LIMITED→ 00915179 · est 1967 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 58y | — | — |
| DOC CHOC LTD→ 16055964 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DORSET TEA LIMITED→ 07119694 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DSR PVT LTD→ 15100063 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ELWORTHYS LIMITED→ 06528355 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| EVOLVING HOSPITALITY LIMITED→ 16967313 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FAIRVALE LTD→ 13048483 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FERRARIO COFFEE LTD→ 16611052 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FLACK MANOR BREWERY LIMITED→ 07041606 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| FLOTTED LTD→ 15314125 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FLOURISH CAKE SCHOOL LTD→ 12445462 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| FOREST GLADE ICE CREAM LIMITED→ 07265971 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-01-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10520 — SIC 10520
Registered office
Unit 1 The Ajm Centre
Prospect Business Park
Swanage
BH19 1FE
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-02
Last: 2025-12-19
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
FORTE, Richard Anthony Philip→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2012-01-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (43 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-07-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-08-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-15
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-01-17
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2023-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-12-19
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-12-19
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2023-12-16
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-12-16
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-12-12