THE HERITAGE FRAGRANCE COMPANY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC169331 · ltd · incorporated 1996-10-25
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£2
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Dormant / non-trading with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 77). 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).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
13 officers (2 active, 13 linked, 6 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
104 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £2
Very low cash
Cash position: £2

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£2
Net Worth
£2
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£1£1£2£2Dec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£2—
Cash£2—
Net assets£2—

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (41 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-04-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-03-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-08
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2023-02-08
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2023-02-08
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  7. 2023-02-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2022-04-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-02-22
    ➖
    SPENCER, Liza Miranda resigned
    director
  10. 2021-05-26
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2021-05-21
    ➖
    LEASK, Zoe Pearl resigned
    director
  12. 2021-03-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-03-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-04-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-02-02
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  16. 2019-01-15
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  17. 2018-12-14
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
    accounts · AA01
  18. 2017-11-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2011-11-01
    ➖
    WILTSHIRE, David Alan resigned
    director
  20. 2011-04-25
    ➕
    LEASK, Zoe Pearl appointed
    director
  21. 2009-10-23
    ➕
    WILTSHIRE, David Alan appointed
    director
  22. 2009-07-15
    ➕
    SPENCER, Liza Miranda appointed
    director
  23. 2006-11-23
    ➕
    BRADFORD, Nicholas appointed
    secretary
  24. 2006-11-23
    ➖
    CLP SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  25. 2005-10-25
    ➕
    CLP SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2005-10-25
    ➖
    PAULL & WILLIAMSONS resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2005-10-25
    ➖
    THE COMMERCIAL LAW PRACTICE resigned
    corporate-secretary
  28. 2004-12-29
    ➕
    THE COMMERCIAL LAW PRACTICE appointed
    corporate-secretary
  29. 1998-04-07
    ➖
    GIBB, Alastair Crofts resigned
    secretary
  30. 1998-04-07
    ➕
    PAULL & WILLIAMSONS appointed
    corporate-secretary
  31. 1998-04-07
    ➖
    CAMPBELL, Robert Martin, Dr resigned
    director
  32. 1997-12-10
    ➖
    GREETHAM, David Andrew resigned
    director
  33. 1997-07-01
    ➕
    SPENCER, Michael John appointed
    director
  34. 1997-01-27
    ➕
    GREETHAM, David Andrew appointed
    director
  35. 1996-10-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE HERITAGE FRAGRANCE COMPANY LIMITED
  36. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    GIBB, Alastair Crofts appointed
    secretary
  37. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  38. 1996-10-25
    ➖
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  39. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    CAMPBELL, Robert Martin, Dr appointed
    director
  40. 1996-10-25
    ➕
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  41. 1996-10-25
    ➖
    CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

100/100
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 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Michael John Spencer
Individual · British · DOB 02/1949 · age 77
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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

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.

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
Incorporated1996-10-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

Account Tax Ltd
Traill Drive
Montrose
Angus
DD10 8SW

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-08
Last: 2025-10-25

Officers (2 active · 11 resigned)

BRADFORD, Nicholas→
secretary · appointed 2006-11-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SPENCER, Michael John→
director · ~77y · appointed 1997-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GIBB, Alastair Crofts→
secretary · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1998-04-07
Resigned
CLP SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2005-10-25 · resigned 2006-11-23
Resigned
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1996-10-25
Resigned
PAULL & WILLIAMSONS→
corporate-secretary · appointed 1998-04-07 · resigned 2005-10-25
Resigned
THE COMMERCIAL LAW PRACTICE→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2004-12-29 · resigned 2005-10-25
Resigned
CAMPBELL, Robert Martin, Dr→
director · ~71y · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1998-04-07
Resigned
GREETHAM, David Andrew→
director · ~62y · appointed 1997-01-27 · resigned 1997-12-10
Resigned
LEASK, Zoe Pearl→
director · ~51y · appointed 2011-04-25 · resigned 2021-05-21
Resigned
SPENCER, Liza Miranda→
director · ~59y · appointed 2009-07-15 · resigned 2022-02-22
Resigned
WILTSHIRE, David Alan→
director · ~82y · appointed 2009-10-23 · resigned 2011-11-01
Resigned
CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 1996-10-25 · resigned 1996-10-25
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (104 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-10
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-02-08
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-02-08
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2023-02-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-02-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-22