THE HERITAGE FRAGRANCE COMPANY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC169331 · ltd · incorporated 1996-10-25
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£2
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Dormant / non-trading with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 77). 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
13 officers (2 active, 13 linked, 6 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
104 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £2
Very low cash
Cash position: £2

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£2
Net Worth
£2
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£1£1£2£2Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£2—
Cash£2—
Net assets£2—

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 (41 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-04-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-03-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-08
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2023-02-08
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2023-02-08
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  7. 2023-02-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2022-04-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-02-22
    ➖
    SPENCER, Liza Miranda resigned
    director
  10. 2021-05-26
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2021-05-21
    ➖
    LEASK, Zoe Pearl resigned
    director
  12. 2021-03-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-03-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-04-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-02-02
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  16. 2019-01-15
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  17. 2018-12-14
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
    accounts · AA01
  18. 2017-11-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2011-11-01
    ➖
    WILTSHIRE, David Alan resigned
    director
  20. 2011-04-25
    ➕
    LEASK, Zoe Pearl appointed
    director
  21. 2009-10-23
    ➕
    WILTSHIRE, David Alan appointed
    director
  22. 2009-07-15
    ➕
    SPENCER, Liza Miranda appointed
    director
  23. 2006-11-23
    ➕
    BRADFORD, Nicholas appointed
    secretary
  24. 2006-11-23
    ➖
    CLP SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  25. 2005-10-25
    ➕
    CLP SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2005-10-25
    ➖
    PAULL & WILLIAMSONS resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2005-10-25
    ➖
    THE COMMERCIAL LAW PRACTICE resigned
    corporate-secretary
  28. 2004-12-29
    ➕
    THE COMMERCIAL LAW PRACTICE appointed
    corporate-secretary
  29. 1998-04-07
    ➖
    GIBB, Alastair Crofts resigned
    secretary
  30. 1998-04-07
    ➕
    PAULL & WILLIAMSONS appointed
    corporate-secretary
  31. 1998-04-07
    ➖
    CAMPBELL, Robert Martin, Dr resigned
    director
  32. 1997-12-10
    ➖
    GREETHAM, David Andrew resigned
    director
  33. 1997-07-01
    ➕
    SPENCER, Michael John appointed
    director
  34. 1997-01-27
    ➕
    GREETHAM, David Andrew appointed
    director
  35. 1996-10-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE HERITAGE FRAGRANCE COMPANY LIMITED
  36. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    GIBB, Alastair Crofts appointed
    secretary
  37. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  38. 1996-10-25
    ➖
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  39. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    CAMPBELL, Robert Martin, Dr appointed
    director
  40. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  41. 1996-10-25
    ➖
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 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 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Michael John Spencer
Individual · British · DOB 02/1949 · age 77
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1996-10-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

Account Tax Ltd
Traill Drive
Montrose
Angus
DD10 8SW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-08
Last: 2025-10-25

Officers (2 active · 11 resigned)

BRADFORD, Nicholas→
secretary · appointed 2006-11-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SPENCER, Michael John→
director · ~77y · appointed 1997-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GIBB, Alastair Crofts→
secretary · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1998-04-07
Resigned
CLP SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2005-10-25 · resigned 2006-11-23
Resigned
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1996-10-25
Resigned
PAULL & WILLIAMSONS→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1998-04-07 · resigned 2005-10-25
Resigned
THE COMMERCIAL LAW PRACTICE→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2004-12-29 · resigned 2005-10-25
Resigned
CAMPBELL, Robert Martin, Dr→
director · ~71y · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1998-04-07
Resigned
GREETHAM, David Andrew→
director · ~62y · appointed 1997-01-27 · resigned 1997-12-10
Resigned
LEASK, Zoe Pearl→
director · ~51y · appointed 2011-04-25 · resigned 2021-05-21
Resigned
SPENCER, Liza Miranda→
director · ~59y · appointed 2009-07-15 · resigned 2022-02-22
Resigned
WILTSHIRE, David Alan→
director · ~82y · appointed 2009-10-23 · resigned 2011-11-01
Resigned
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1996-10-25
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (104 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-02-08
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-02-08
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2023-02-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-02-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-22