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.
🔒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 20.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.1 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
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 20 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 20 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATHLETE LIMITED→ SC590022 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BAST CRYSTALS LTD→ SC736537 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BRODIE COUNTRYFARE LIMITED→ SC146184 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| BRYKZ LTD→ SC799886 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BYRON BAKERY LTD→ SC343419 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| C & J'S CORNER SHOP LIMITED→ SC282886 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| C & L SUPPLIES (PETERHEAD) LTD.→ SC250654 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| C & M BATHROOMS LIMITED→ SC231718 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| CARRINGTON'S BRIDAL LTD→ SC656858 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CDP COLLECTABLES LIMITED→ SC792243 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CELEBRATION GIFT BOXES LTD→ SC622498 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CELEBRATIONS (TURRIFF) LIMITED→ SC189045 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
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