GIRAFFE CONSULTING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC252222 · ltd · incorporated 2003-07-03
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). 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 (75/100)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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
71 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
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 |
|---|
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 (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-01📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-01📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2023-03-01📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-07📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2020-10-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-04-19📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2017-04-19📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2013-11-29➕LAWSON HILL, Julian Mark John appointedsecretary
- 2013-11-29➖MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-02-04➕LAWSON HILL, Julian Mark John appointeddirector
- 2004-02-04➖MORTON FRASER DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-02-03➕MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-02-03➖MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-07-03🏢Company incorporatedAs GIRAFFE CONSULTING LIMITED
- 2003-07-03➕MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-07-03➕MORTON FRASER DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
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 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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Julian Mark John Lawson Hill Individual · British · DOB 05/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GINGER NINJA CRAFTS LIMITED→ SC517519 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| GIRLS CLUB HAIR ROOM LTD→ SC868346 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GJEFITNESS LTD→ SC834888 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GLAM HAIR LTD→ SC609291 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| GLASGOW ZEN GROUP, COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY→ SC706117 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| GLENHAGEN LIMITED→ SC679356 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GLENISLE CRAFTS LIMITED→ SC154938 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| GLENN MCFARLANE EVENTS LTD→ SC594211 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| GLENOR LTD→ SC863149 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GLENTAGGART WIND LIMITED→ SC580101 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| GLENTURRET FARMING LIMITED→ SC789137 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| GLITCHLESS LTD→ SC862356 · est 2025 · 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
Incorporated2003-07-03
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
5 South Charlotte Street
Edinburgh
EH2 4AN
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-23
Last: 2025-07-09
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
LAWSON HILL, Julian Mark John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2013-11-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LAWSON HILL, Julian Mark John→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2004-02-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2004-02-03 · resigned 2013-11-29
MORTON FRASER SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-07-03 · resigned 2004-02-03
MORTON FRASER DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-07-03 · resigned 2004-02-04
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (71 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-06-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-01
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2023-03-01
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-03-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-20
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2022-02-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-29