CORBEN LTD
💤Zombieactive
SC174048 · ltd · incorporated 1997-04-03
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£218.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Buying and selling of own real estate
Sector: Real estate
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 68). 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 · oldest 19.7y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 19.7 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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
82 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
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 £218,782
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£219k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£3k
↓ 8.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £2.8k | £3.1k |
| Current assets | £3.1k | £3.4k |
| Net assets | £218.8k | £218.5k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-02-06➖HEINIGER, Cornelia Maria resigneddirector
- 2025-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-08-24🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2011-03-31🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2007-06-25🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2006-09-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1997-05-12➕HEINIGER, Cornelia Maria appointedsecretary
- 1997-05-12➕HEINIGER, Philippe Heinz, Dr appointeddirector
- 1997-05-12➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-05-12➕HEINIGER, Cornelia Maria appointeddirector
- 1997-05-12➖JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1997-04-03🏢Company incorporatedAs CORBEN LTD
- 1997-04-03➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1997-04-03➕JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointedcorporate-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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
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 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- 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 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dr Philippe Heinz Heiniger Individual · Swiss · DOB 05/1958 · age 68 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/01/2017 |
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 · Property · PA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EASYDONE LTD→ SC875754 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| EDERLINE HOLDINGS LTD→ SC717217 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ELLA & LEWIS PROPERTIES LTD→ SC801222 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| F&F CAMPBELTOWN LTD→ SC868782 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FYNE PROPERTY LTD→ SC834759 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| G MOR PROPERTIES LIMITED→ SC759597 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GARELOCH VIEW LIMITED→ SC401711 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| GATE REAL ESTATE LIMITED→ SC737263 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GFS (PIRRIE HALLS) LTD→ SC751531 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GG PROPERTIES SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC818068 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GILTRON LIMITED→ SC102828 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| GK 21 LTD→ SC694703 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-04-03
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC68100 — Buying and selling of own real estate
Registered office
Celtic Sea
Loch Melfort
Arduaine
Argyll
PA34 4XQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-28
Last: 2026-01-14
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
HEINIGER, Cornelia Maria→
Activesecretary · appointed 1997-05-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HEINIGER, Philippe Heinz, Dr→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 1997-05-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-04-03 · resigned 1997-05-12
HEINIGER, Cornelia Maria→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 1997-05-12 · resigned 2026-02-06
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-04-03 · resigned 1997-05-12
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 25/06/2007 | 24/08/2011 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Floating charge | 1 property | 01/09/2006 | 31/03/2011 |
Recent filings (82 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-09-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-09-24