ELSPETH HAMILTON LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC109303 · ltd · incorporated 1988-02-18
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£-21.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 31.6y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 31.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
102 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £21,774
Cash YoY
+8%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£2k
↑ 7.7% YoY
Net Worth
-£22k
↓ 39% YoY
Current Assets
£24k
↓ 5.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-21.8k | £-15.7k |
| Current assets | £23.9k | £25.3k |
| Cash | £1.6k | £1.5k |
| Debtors | £3.2k | £4.6k |
| Net assets | £-21.8k | £-15.7k |
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
3
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-28📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-28📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-28📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2025-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-28➖HAMILTON, Ian Robert resigneddirector
- 2024-08-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-08-28📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-12-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-11-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-11-13📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2018-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-04-01➕LIMOND, Lesley Margaret appointedsecretary
- 2008-04-01➕LIMOND, Lesley Margaret appointeddirector
- 2008-04-01➖HAMILTON, Elspeth Sandra resignedsecretary
- 2008-04-01➖HAMILTON, Elspeth Sandra resigneddirector
- 2008-04-01➖HAMILTON, James Douglas resigneddirector
- 2004-08-01➕HAMILTON, Ian Robert appointeddirector
- 1994-09-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1988-02-28➕HAMILTON, Elspeth Sandra appointeddirector
- 1988-02-18🏢Company incorporatedAs ELSPETH HAMILTON LIMITED
Owner dependency
85/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Lesley Margaret Limond Individual · Scottish · DOB 05/1972 · age 54 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 17/09/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Ian Robert Hamiltonceased 28/08/2024· 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 · Retail · ML postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-COMMERCE ESSENTIALS LIMITED→ SC850605 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| EARTH.ER LTD→ SC715955 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EESA TRADERS LTD→ SC665808 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FAIRDEAL LICENCED GROCERS LTD.→ SC485954 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| FAIRHILL GROCERS LTD→ SC527000 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| FAMILY SHOPPER HAMILTON LTD→ SC683829 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FAR MOBILES LTD→ SC771153 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FGWR LTD→ SC543503 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| FLAIRPLAN LIMITED→ SC614409 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| FLARESABERS LTD.→ SC705195 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| FLAWLESS FIT LIMITED→ SC597564 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| FLIP SHOP LTD.→ SC876602 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1988-02-18
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47750 — Retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores
Registered office
18 Quarry Place
Hamilton
ML3 7BB
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-11
Last: 2025-08-28
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
LIMOND, Lesley Margaret→
Activesecretary · appointed 2008-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LIMOND, Lesley Margaret→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2008-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HAMILTON, Elspeth Sandra→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2008-04-01
HAMILTON, Elspeth Sandra→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · appointed 1988-02-28 · resigned 2008-04-01
HAMILTON, Ian Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~54y · appointed 2004-08-01 · resigned 2024-08-28
HAMILTON, James Douglas→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · resigned 2008-04-01
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 | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 20/09/1994 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (102 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-28
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-28
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-08-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-08-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-31
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-03-09