FIFE ZOO LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC504557 · ltd · incorporated 2015-04-29
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 7.2y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£-232.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Unlicenced restaurants and cafes
Sector: Accommodation & food service
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 91040Botanical and zoological gardens and nature reserve activities
- 93290Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 7.2y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 7.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 3 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
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 7 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
44 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
75
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 · FRS 102Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £232,128
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£4k
Net Worth
-£232k
Current Assets
-£33k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £471.3k | — |
| Current assets | £-33.4k | — |
| Cash | £3.8k | — |
| Debtors | £-42.3k | — |
| Net assets | £-232.1k | — |
| Average employees | — | 1100 |
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 (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-08-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-09-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-11➖BLYTH, Martin Jonathon Malcolm resigneddirector
- 2023-12-11➖SWEETINGHAM, Jessica Rose resigneddirector
- 2023-12-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-12-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-10-31➕HARTLEY, Matthew appointeddirector
- 2023-10-31➕BLYTH, Martin Jonathon Malcolm appointeddirector
- 2023-10-31➕SWEETINGHAM, Jessica Rose appointeddirector
- 2023-10-31📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-10-31📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-10-31📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-11-14📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-11-11➖KNIGHT, Ann Mary resigneddirector
- 2022-11-09➖TAYLOR, Briony Elizabeth resigneddirector
- 2022-11-09📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-11-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-16🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2019-02-25🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2015-04-29🏢Company incorporatedAs FIFE ZOO LTD
- 2015-04-29➕KNIGHT, Michael David appointeddirector
- 2015-04-29➕KNIGHT, Reginald James appointeddirector
- 2015-04-29➕KNIGHT, Ann Mary appointeddirector
- 2015-04-29➕TAYLOR, Briony Elizabeth appointeddirector
Owner dependency
73/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- 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 Michael David Knight Individual · British · DOB 03/1990 · age 36 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Reginald James Knight Individual · British · DOB 05/1952 · age 74 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Ann Mary Knightceased 11/11/2022· significant influence
- Miss Briony Elizabeth Taylorceased 09/11/2022· significant influence
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 · Hospitality · KY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFE INNS (CUPAR) LIMITED→ SC118700 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | — | — |
| FISH EXPRESS LTD→ SC858594 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FOCHABERS CHIPPY LTD→ SC584843 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| FOOD A ONE LTD→ SC794119 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FORTUNE GARDEN METHIL LIMITED→ SC881939 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GALLOWHILL (COMMERCIAL) LIMITED→ SC815315 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GBK 2021 LTD→ SC711262 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| GLENSHIRE HOSPITALITY LTD→ SC668114 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GREIG WOODWARD CATERING LIMITED→ SC843737 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| H FISH AND CHIPS LIMITED→ SC597544 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| HANCOCK HOSPITALITY LTD→ SC865657 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HAPPY FIFE LTD→ SC841507 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-04-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC56102 — Unlicenced restaurants and cafes
Registered office
Birnie Field
Ladybank
Cupar
Fife
KY15 7UT
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-16
Last: 2025-05-02
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
HARTLEY, Matthew→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2023-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KNIGHT, Michael David→
Activedirector · ~36y · appointed 2015-04-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KNIGHT, Reginald James→
Activedirector · ~74y · appointed 2015-04-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BLYTH, Martin Jonathon Malcolm→
Resigneddirector · ~35y · appointed 2023-10-31 · resigned 2023-12-11
KNIGHT, Ann Mary→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 2015-04-29 · resigned 2022-11-11
SWEETINGHAM, Jessica Rose→
Resigneddirector · ~35y · appointed 2023-10-31 · resigned 2023-12-11
TAYLOR, Briony Elizabeth→
Resigneddirector · ~37y · appointed 2015-04-29 · resigned 2022-11-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 16/04/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 25/02/2019 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (44 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-20
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-12-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-12-11
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-10-31
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-10-31
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-10-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-02
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-11-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-11-14