C & M BRUCE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC295283 · ltd · incorporated 2006-01-11
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£31.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 59). 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 20.3y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.3 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
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
58 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
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 £31,351
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£31k
↑ 104% YoY
Current Assets
£3k
↓ 12% 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 | £20.9k | £3.2k |
| Current assets | £3.3k | £3.7k |
| Net assets | £31.4k | £15.4k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-14📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-09-14📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-07-21📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2020-07-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-07-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-07-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-10📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-05🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2012-08-31➖BRUCE, Christopher Charles resigneddirector
- 2011-07-28🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2006-04-07🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2006-03-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2006-01-11🏢Company incorporatedAs C & M BRUCE LIMITED
- 2006-01-11➕BRUCE, Moira Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 2006-01-11➕BRUCE, Moira Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2006-01-11➕BRUCE, Christopher Charles appointeddirector
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BRUCE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Christopher Charles Bruce Individual · British · DOB 09/1969 · age 57 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 07/04/2016 |
Mrs Moira Elizabeth Bruce Individual · British · DOB 07/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Brodie Connor Bruceceased 14/09/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOOLDEN LIMITED→ SC453454 · est 2013 | £2.60M £1.95M–£3.25M | — | — | 56 | 13y | 85 | 63y |
| DUNCAN AND TODD LIMITED→ SC065757 · est 1978 | £1.87M £1.40M–£2.33M | — | — | 351 | 47y | 83 | 49y |
| BRODIE COUNTRYFARE LIMITED→ SC146184 · est 1993 | £909.2k £681.9k–£1.14M | — | — | 121 | 32y | 85 | 78y |
| GRAMPIAN POWERCLEAN EQUIPMENT LTD.→ SC240849 · est 2002 | — | — | £30.5k | — | 23y | 83 | 82y |
| INTERNATIONAL DOORS AND WINDOWS LIMITED→ SC304831 · est 2006 | — | — | — | 16 | 19y | 83 | 65y |
| KEMNAY PHARMACY LIMITED→ SC245230 · est 2003 | — | — | £967.2k | — | 23y | 83 | 66y |
| SOUND TECHNOLOGY AUDIO-VISUAL LIMITED→ SC258755 · est 2003 | — | — | — | 300 | 22y | 83 | 79y |
| THE MAINS OF DRUM GARDEN CENTRE LIMITED→ SC311898 · est 2006 | — | — | £465.3k | — | 19y | 83 | 71y |
| THE SANDWICH LARDER LIMITED→ SC327302 · est 2007 | — | — | — | 37 | 18y | 83 | 62y |
| TURRIFF AGRI-PARTS LIMITED→ SC069419 · est 1979 | — | — | £527.9k | — | 46y | 83 | 78y |
| A & J WATT LTD.→ SC248198 · est 2003 | — | — | £175.1k | — | 23y | 82 | 67y |
| A.W. HERD & SONS LIMITED→ SC027384 · est 1949 | — | — | £119.5k | — | 76y | 82 | 78y |
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
Incorporated2006-01-11
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47190 — Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Registered office
Farhills
Monaltrie Avenue
Ballater
AB35 5RX
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-10
Last: 2025-12-27
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
BRUCE, Moira Elizabeth→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-01-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRUCE, Moira Elizabeth→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2006-01-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRUCE, Christopher Charles→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2006-01-11 · resigned 2012-08-31
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 Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 07/04/2006 | 28/07/2011 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 14/03/2006 | 05/04/2016 |
Recent filings (58 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-09-14
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-07-21