FRESH FRUIT COMPANY LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC353023 · ltd · incorporated 2009-01-05
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 · high confidence
Thesis has shifted recently — watch for confirmation.
- · Lifecycle stage: mature → zombie
- · Investment thesis: unclassified → zombie_hold
- · Hygiene score: 70 → 85
- · Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
Opportunity decay
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
- · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
- · Currently "zombie"
What changed my view
Last 30 days
Mixed signals in the last 30 days — 4 improved, 2 worsened.
- ↓Lifecycle stage: mature → zombie
- ·Investment thesis: unclassified → zombie_hold
- ↑Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
- ↑Opportunity score: 71 → 79
- ↑Hygiene score: 70 → 85
- +3 more
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
£6.51M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 12.0y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
69 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £6,514,165
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£373k
Net Worth
£6.5m
Current Assets
£540k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £6.51M | — |
| Current assets | £539.9k | — |
| Cash | £373.2k | — |
| Debtors | £166.7k | — |
| Net assets | £6.51M | — |
| Average employees | — | 100 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
3
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
13
filings
- • 8 officers
- • 3 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-05-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-02-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-18📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2026-02-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-02-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-01-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-01➖THOMPSON, Paul resigneddirector
- 2024-12-23📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-12-18🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2024-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-29📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-10-29📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-10-29🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2024-10-29🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2023-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-23🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2014-09-17🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2014-06-27🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2011-03-07➕THOMPSON, Paul appointedsecretary
- 2011-03-07➖HENDERSON, William Allan resignedsecretary
- 2009-10-01➕THOMPSON, Paul appointeddirector
- 2009-01-05🏢Company incorporatedAs FRESH FRUIT COMPANY LIMITED
- 2009-01-05➕HENDERSON, William Allan appointedsecretary
- 2009-01-05➕THOMPSON, Paul appointeddirector
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 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
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 58. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul Thompson Individual · Scottish · DOB 12/1968 · age 58 | 75–100% | 25–50% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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 · Wholesale & distribution · G postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALLIANCE SANITARY PRODUCTS LIMITED→ SC261393 · est 2004 | £8.86M £6.65M–£11.08M | — | — | 2900 | 22y | 86 | 69y |
| FAILTE FOOD SERVICE LIMITED→ SC275128 · est 2004 | £7.59M £5.69M–£9.48M | — | — | 71 | 21y | 85 | 66y |
| WESTSIDE DISTRIBUTION HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC648056 · est 2019 | £5.77M £4.33M–£7.21M | — | — | 27 | 6y | 84 | 67y |
| WESTSIDE DISTRIBUTION LIMITED→ SC365971 · est 2009 | £5.77M £4.33M–£7.21M | — | — | 27 | 16y | 88 | 67y |
| WILLIAM MORTON LIMITED→ SC056257 · est 1974 | £5.23M £3.93M–£6.54M | — | — | 141 | 51y | 85 | 74y |
| SOUTHEAST TRADERS LIMITED→ SC235763 · est 2002 | £4.00M £3.00M–£5.01M | — | — | 26 | 23y | 88 | 67y |
| SCO-FRO GROUP LIMITED→ SC057644 · est 1975 | £2.74M £2.06M–£3.43M | — | — | 20 | 51y | 95 | 72y |
| D MCNAIR (BUILDERS MERCHANTS) LIMITED→ SC089357 · est 1984 | £2.35M £1.76M–£2.93M | — | — | 69 | 41y | 85 | 63y |
| EAGLE TUBE AND FLANGES LIMITED→ SC084811 · est 1983 | £2.14M £1.60M–£2.67M | — | — | 1400 | 42y | 83 | 70y |
| LEESHUN CATERING SUPPLIES LTD→ SC346276 · est 2008 | £811.1k £608.3k–£1.01M | — | — | 13 | 17y | 83 | 69y |
| ANDREW MCDICKEN LIMITED→ SC034095 · est 1959 | — | — | £8.7k | — | 67y | 83 | 63y |
| ASTRA HYGIENE SUPPLIES LIMITED→ SC122088 · est 1989 | — | — | £335.1k | — | 36y | 83 | 81y |
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
Incorporated2009-01-05
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46310 — Wholesale of fruit and vegetables
Registered office
5 Drum Mains Park
Cumbernauld
Glasgow
G68 9LD
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-19
Last: 2026-01-05
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Active
THOMPSON, Paul→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2009-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HENDERSON, William Allan→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2009-01-05 · resigned 2011-03-07
THOMPSON, Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 2009-01-05 · resigned 2026-01-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/12/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 23/11/2017 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 17/09/2014 | 29/10/2024 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 27/06/2014 | 29/10/2024 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (69 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-06-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-05-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-19
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-18
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-02-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-12
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-02-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-10
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-12-23