THE BURNING QUESTION (PERTH) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC111472 · ltd · incorporated 1988-06-07
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 60). 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 30.7y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 30.7 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
11 officers (2 active, 11 linked, 6 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
102 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.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Jun 2024Jun 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-06-302024-06-30
Average employees7700

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-02-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-11-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-03-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-03-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-11-05
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2018-11-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  11. 2018-05-03
    📄
    mortgage-charge-whole-release-with-charge-number
    mortgage · MR05
  12. 2018-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-03-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-03-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-01-05
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-01-05
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  17. 2010-08-25
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2010-05-25
    ➕
    MYLES, Susan Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  19. 2010-05-25
    ➖
    DOLBY, Deborah Marta resigned
    secretary
  20. 2010-05-25
    ➖
    DOLBY, Andrew William resigned
    director
  21. 2002-12-09
    ➖
    DOLBY, Andrew William resigned
    secretary
  22. 2002-12-09
    ➕
    DOLBY, Deborah Marta appointed
    secretary
  23. 2001-01-01
    ➖
    DOLBY, William Berkeley resigned
    director
  24. 1995-12-05
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  25. 1995-08-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  26. 1995-04-01
    ➕
    DOLBY, Douglas George appointed
    director
  27. 1992-11-08
    ➖
    ADAM, James resigned
    director
  28. 1992-05-01
    ➖
    ARBUTHNOT, Keith Robert Charles resigned
    director
  29. 1992-05-01
    ➖
    OGILVIE, Nial Hamish resigned
    director
  30. 1989-12-31
    ➖
    FURR-BARTON, Marilyn Sylvia resigned
    secretary
  31. 1989-12-31
    ➖
    FURR-BARTON, Howard resigned
    director
  32. 1988-06-21
    ➕
    ARBUTHNOT, Keith Robert Charles appointed
    director
  33. 1988-06-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE BURNING QUESTION (PERTH) LIMITED
  34. 1988-06-07
    ➕
    FURR-BARTON, Marilyn Sylvia appointed
    secretary
  35. 1988-06-07
    ➕
    FURR-BARTON, Howard appointed
    director

Owner dependency

93/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. 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 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 38 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

clean
No 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Douglas George Dolby
Individual · British · DOB 03/1966 · age 60
—50–75%board controlsig. influence50-75% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest06/04/2016
Mrs Rosemary Amy Dolby
Individual · British · DOB 06/1941 · age 85
—25–50%25-50% voting · firm interest06/04/2016

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 →

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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
Incorporated1988-06-07
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC47190 — Other retail sale in non-specialised stores

Registered office

Inveralmond Place
Inveralmond Industrial Estate
Perth
Tayside
PH1 3TS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-27
Last: 2025-12-13

Officers (2 active · 9 resigned)

MYLES, Susan Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2010-05-25
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DOLBY, Douglas George→
director · ~60y · appointed 1995-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DOLBY, Andrew William→
secretary · resigned 2002-12-09
Resigned
DOLBY, Deborah Marta→
secretary · appointed 2002-12-09 · resigned 2010-05-25
Resigned
FURR-BARTON, Marilyn Sylvia→
secretary · appointed 1988-06-07 · resigned 1989-12-31
Resigned
ADAM, James→
director · ~89y · resigned 1992-11-08
Resigned
ARBUTHNOT, Keith Robert Charles→
director · ~75y · appointed 1988-06-21 · resigned 1992-05-01
Resigned
DOLBY, Andrew William→
director · ~65y · resigned 2010-05-25
Resigned
DOLBY, William Berkeley→
director · ~92y · resigned 2001-01-01
Resigned
FURR-BARTON, Howard→
director · appointed 1988-06-07 · resigned 1989-12-31
Resigned
OGILVIE, Nial Hamish→
director · ~76y · resigned 1992-05-01
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property05/12/199505/11/2018
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property02/08/199525/08/2010

Recent filings (102 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-11-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-03-28