BELLSHELF (NINETY SEVEN) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC271323 · ltd · incorporated 2004-07-29
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
£370.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 21.6y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
81 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £370,126

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£370k
~ YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£74k£148k£222k£296k£370kDec 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£370.1k£370.1k
Net assets£370.1k£370.1k

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
  1. 2025-07-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-22
    📄
    second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
    confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
  4. 2023-10-11
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2023-10-04
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  6. 2023-10-03
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  7. 2023-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-04-20
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  9. 2023-04-20
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  10. 2023-04-20
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  11. 2023-04-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2023-04-18
    ➖
    STIRLING, James Spalding resigned
    director
  13. 2022-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2021-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2020-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  16. 2019-09-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2019-08-15
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  18. 2019-08-15
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  19. 2019-08-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  20. 2019-03-14
    ➕
    STIRLING, James Spalding appointed
    director
  21. 2018-12-14
    ➖
    INGLIS, Douglas Allan resigned
    director
  22. 2011-04-12
    ➖
    CHALMERS, Brian resigned
    director
  23. 2004-09-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  24. 2004-08-05
    ➕
    MCGOULDRICK, Jacqueline Marshall appointed
    secretary
  25. 2004-08-05
    ➕
    MCGOULDRICK, Jacqueline Marshall appointed
    director
  26. 2004-08-05
    ➖
    BLACKADDERS resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 2004-08-05
    ➕
    CHALMERS, Brian appointed
    director
  28. 2004-08-05
    ➖
    CLARK, Campbell John Scott resigned
    nominee-director
  29. 2004-08-05
    ➕
    INGLIS, Douglas Allan appointed
    director
  30. 2004-07-29
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BELLSHELF (NINETY SEVEN) LIMITED
  31. 2004-07-29
    ➕
    BLACKADDERS appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 2004-07-29
    ➕
    CLARK, Campbell John Scott appointed
    nominee-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 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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.)

Group structure

Bellshelf (Ninety Eight) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Bellshelf (Ninety Eight) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
BELLSHELF (NINETY SEVEN) LIMITED
This company · SC271323

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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Bellshelf (Ninety Eight) Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
—75-100% shares14/12/2018
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr James Spalding Stirlingceased 18/04/2023· significant influence · firm interest
  • Mrs Jacqueline Marshall Mcgouldrickceased 18/04/2023· significant influence · firm interest
  • Mr Douglas Allan Inglisceased 14/12/2018· significant influence · firm interest

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
Incorporated2004-07-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices

Registered office

58 Long Lane
Broughty Ferry
Dundee
DD5 1HH
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-02
Last: 2025-07-19

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

MCGOULDRICK, Jacqueline Marshall→
secretary · appointed 2004-08-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCGOULDRICK, Jacqueline Marshall→
director · ~64y · appointed 2004-08-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BLACKADDERS→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-07-29 · resigned 2004-08-05
Resigned
CHALMERS, Brian→
director · ~74y · appointed 2004-08-05 · resigned 2011-04-12
Resigned
CLARK, Campbell John Scott→
nominee-director · ~55y · appointed 2004-07-29 · resigned 2004-08-05
Resigned
INGLIS, Douglas Allan→
director · ~68y · appointed 2004-08-05 · resigned 2018-12-14
Resigned
STIRLING, James Spalding→
director · ~85y · appointed 2019-03-14 · resigned 2023-04-18
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property30/09/2004—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (81 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-18
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2023-11-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-11
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-10-11
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2023-10-04
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2023-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-29
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2023-04-20
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-04-20
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-04-20
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-04-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-09-29