BELL'S MILLS LIMITED
Opportunity 53/100 (worth a look), bankability 40/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 75). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 20.9y
Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 45/100 (high).
Data confidence
Overall: low (53/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (57 events)Click to expand
- 2017-11-16⚠️gazette-dissolved-liquidationgazette · GAZ2
- 2017-11-16🏁Company dissolved
- 2017-08-16⚠️liquidation-in-administration-move-to-dissolution-scotlandinsolvency · 2.26B(Scot)
- 2017-08-16⚠️liquidation-in-administration-progress-report-scotlandinsolvency · 2.20B(Scot)
- 2016-11-21⚠️liquidation-in-administration-progress-report-scotlandinsolvency · 2.20B(Scot)
- 2016-05-17⚠️liquidation-in-administration-progress-report-scotlandinsolvency · 2.20B(Scot)
- 2016-04-27⚠️liquidation-in-administration-extension-of-period-scotlandinsolvency · 2.22B(Scot)
- 2015-11-16⚠️liquidation-in-administration-progress-report-scotlandinsolvency · 2.20B(Scot)
- 2015-07-14⚠️liquidation-in-administration-deemed-proposal-scotlandinsolvency · 2.16BZ(Scot)
- 2015-06-25⚠️liquidation-in-administration-proposals-scotlandinsolvency · 2.16B(Scot)
- 2015-05-27📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2015-05-21⚠️liquidation-in-administration-appointment-of-administrator-scotlandinsolvency · 2.11B(Scot)
- 2015-03-11➖ADAIR, Eric Weir resigneddirector
- 2015-03-11📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-03-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2014-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2014-04-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-addressaddress · AD01
- 2014-03-13📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2013-03-05📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2012-03-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2012-02-09📄auditors-resignation-companyauditors · AUD
- 2011-10-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2011-10-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2011-03-10📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-06-24📄legacymortgage · MG01s
- 2010-06-18🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2009-11-24➖CITRIN, David Lewis Robert resigneddirector
- 2009-08-19➕ADAIR, Eric Weir appointeddirector
- 2009-08-13➖MCGAFFIN, Charles Roger resigneddirector
- 2009-07-23➖MCGOWAN, Carol Ann resignedsecretary
- 2009-07-02➖DI CIACCA, John Mark resigneddirector
- 2008-10-24➖FORBES, John resigneddirector
- 2008-07-03➕MCGAFFIN, Charles Roger appointeddirector
- 2008-04-02➖WALL, Ian James, Prof resigneddirector
- 2006-04-28➕MCGOWAN, Carol Ann appointedsecretary
- 2006-04-28➖WILSON, Mary resignedsecretary
- 2005-08-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2005-07-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2005-06-23🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 2002-09-02➕BURRELL, Andrew William Lawrence appointeddirector
- 2002-09-02➖O'DONNELL, Harry Joseph resignedsecretary
- 2002-09-02➕WILSON, Mary appointedsecretary
- 2002-09-02➕DI CIACCA, John Mark appointeddirector
- 2002-09-02➕FORBES, John appointeddirector
- 2002-09-02➕WALL, Ian James, Prof appointeddirector
- 2002-05-17➕O'DONNELL, Harry Joseph appointeddirector
- 2002-05-17➖GLEN, Jeremy Stewart resignednominee-secretary
- 2002-05-17➕O'DONNELL, Harry Joseph appointedsecretary
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
2 high ·Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2017-11-16
Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2017-11-16: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2017-08-16: liquidation-in-administration-move-to-dissolution-scotland
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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11 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (0 active · 12 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 18/06/2010 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 15/08/2005 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 12/07/2005 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 23/06/2005 | — |