HILL & SMITH (FRANCE) LIMITED
Opportunity 60/100 (worth a look), bankability 62/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 9 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 15.0y
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (61/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Recent activity
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
- 2024-10-01📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2024-10-01🏁Company dissolved
- 2024-07-16📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2024-07-03📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2023-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-15📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-08-15📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-08-15📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2023-06-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2022-10-06📄capital-statement-capital-company-with-date-currency-figurecapital · SH19
- 2022-10-06📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-10-06⚠️legacyinsolvency · CAP-SS
- 2022-10-06📄legacycapital · SH20
- 2022-08-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-18➖SIMMONS, Paul resigneddirector
- 2022-07-18📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-17📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-11-12➖MUIR, Derek William resigneddirector
- 2020-11-12➕SIMMONS, Paul appointeddirector
- 2020-11-12📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-12📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-01-01➕NICHOLS, Hannah Kate appointeddirector
- 2019-12-16📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-11-28🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Prudential Trustee Company Limited
- 2019-04-30➖PEGLER, Mark resigneddirector
- 2019-02-19🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2019-02-07🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2015-01-01➕HENDERSON, Charles Alex appointedsecretary
- 2015-01-01➕HENDERSON, Charles Alex appointeddirector
- 2015-01-01➖HUMPHREYS, John Christopher resignedsecretary
- 2015-01-01➖HUMPHREYS, John Christopher resigneddirector
- 2011-04-26🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC as Security Agent
- 2008-12-08🏢Company incorporatedAs HILL & SMITH (FRANCE) LIMITED
- 2008-12-08➕WHITEHOUSE, Joel Paul appointeddirector
- 2008-12-08➕HUMPHREYS, John Christopher appointedsecretary
- 2008-12-08➕CHOHAN, Baljit Singh appointeddirector
- 2008-12-08➖CHOHAN, Baljit Singh resigneddirector
- 2008-12-08➕HUMPHREYS, John Christopher appointeddirector
- 2008-12-08➕MUIR, Derek William appointeddirector
- 2008-12-08➕PEGLER, Mark appointeddirector
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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
2 high ·Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2024-10-01
Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.
Evidence: 2022-10-06: legacy
Group structure
Hill & Smith Plc is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hill & Smith Plc Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 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.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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9 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (0 active · 6 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Prudential Trustee Company / The Gibraltar Life Insurance Company Co., . / The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company / Pru Us Pp Credit Bm Fund Prudential Trustee Company Limited / The Gibraltar Life Insurance Company Co., LTD. / The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company / Pru Us Pp Credit Bm Fund | A registered charge | — | 28/11/2019 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Barclays Bank PLC / Hsbc UK Bank PLC / The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC / Svenska Handelsbanken Ab (Publ) | A registered charge | — | 07/02/2019 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC as Security Agent | Securities account pledge agreement | 1 property | 26/04/2011 | 19/02/2019 |