BELLS FOOD GROUP LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

SC045567 · ltd · incorporated 1968-03-29

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.

🔒Estimated value

—

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Turnover

—

not disclosed

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

79/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Manufacture of bread; manufacture of fresh pastry goods and cakes

Sector: Manufacturing

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

9 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 43.2y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 43.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 40/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (59/100)

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

No iXBRL financials extracted

Lenders & charges

9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)

Directors & officers

20 officers (5 active, 20 linked, 16 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

9 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

207 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

79/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

• 1 officers
• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (62 events)Click to expand

2025-12-15
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-14
➖
SMITH, Gordon resigned
director
2025-11-13
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2024-06-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-01-30
📄
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2024-01-30
📄
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2023-12-10
➖
MARR, Alison resigned
director
2023-12-08
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-19
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-07-19
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-07-12
📄
withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
2022-12-08
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-16
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2020-12-28
➖
BELL, John Baird resigned
director
2020-12-09
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2019-11-20
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-04
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2018-12-03
📄
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2018-09-16
➖
BELL, David, Dr resigned
director
2018-04-01
➕
SMITH, Gordon appointed
director
2016-07-01
➕
BARNETT, Charles David appointed
director
2015-09-28
➖
BELL, David Topping resigned
director
2013-08-08
🔒
Charge registered #10
Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
2013-03-21
➕
MURRAY, Samantha Clair appointed
secretary
2013-03-21
➕
BELL, David Malcolm appointed
director
2013-03-21
➕
MURRAY, Samantha Clair appointed
director
2013-03-21
➖
MILES, Ronald John resigned
secretary
2013-03-21
➕
MARR, Alison appointed
director
2006-06-02
➕
MILES, Ronald John appointed
director
2006-04-07
➖
HUBBLE, Mark resigned
director
2006-01-27
➖
NASH, Hugh resigned
director
2004-08-31
➖
BRUNTON, John William Morley resigned
director
2002-12-31
➖
CAMPBELL, John Ross resigned
director
2000-03-31
➖
MCLELLAN, William Lawrence resigned
director
2000-01-01
➕
NASH, Hugh appointed
director
1999-12-13
🔒
Charge registered #9
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1999-12-13
🔒
Charge registered #8
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1999-12-03
🔓
Charge satisfied #5
1999-12-03
🔓
Charge satisfied #6
1999-12-03
🔓
Charge satisfied #4
1999-12-01
🔒
Charge registered #7
Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
1998-10-26
➕
CAMPBELL, John Ross appointed
director
1998-09-14
➕
HUBBLE, Mark appointed
director
1997-04-22
➖
BELL, Andrew resigned
director
1996-12-07
➖
BELL, John Baird resigned
director
1996-03-19
➕
BRUNTON, John William Morley appointed
director
1995-12-11
➖
BELL(JNR), John Baird resigned
secretary

Showing most recent 50 of 62 events

Owner dependency

80/100

Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS

-4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BELL" — 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.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

73/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 58 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

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr David Malcolm Bell Individual · British · DOB 07/1965 · age 61	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	01/04/2023
Mrs Samantha Clair Murray Individual · British · DOB 01/1984 · age 42	25–50%	25–50%	25-50% shares · 25-50% voting	01/03/2023

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 · Food & drink · ML postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
ARTHENDAS LTD→ SC707067 · est 2021 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	4y	—	—
BELL’S BAKES LIMITED→ SC850713 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
BLAIRMHOR DISTILLERS LIMITED→ SC140080 · est 1992 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	33y	—	—
BLAIRMHOR LIMITED→ SC099017 · est 1986 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	39y	—	—
BOLFAT GROUP LIMITED→ SC873482 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
BORDER BISCUITS LIMITED→ SC087177 · est 1984 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	42y	—	—
BORDER TABLET LTD→ SC578108 · est 2017 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	8y	—	—
BRAND NEW CAKE LIMITED→ SC379264 · est 2010 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—
CAKE AND ALL LTD→ SC623617 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
CALIFORNIA CAKE COMPANY LIMITED→ SC204757 · est 2000 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	26y	—	—
CAMPBELLS CAKE COMPANY LIMITED→ SC149616 · est 1994 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	32y	—	—
CAMPBELLS FUDGE LIMITED→ SC394263 · est 2011 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	15y	—	—

Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →

🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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.

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🔒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.

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Company details

Statusactive

Typeltd

Incorporated1968-03-29

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC10710 — Manufacture of bread; manufacture of fresh pastry goods and cakes

Registered office

Hawthorn Bakery

181 Torbothie Road

Shotts

ML7 5BD

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-12-31

Last made up to: 2025-03-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-06-16

Last: 2025-06-02