CAFE BALFE LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC282887 · ltd · incorporated 2005-04-07
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
£83.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Licenced restaurants
Sector: Accommodation & food service
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
61 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £83,473
Net assets shrinking
Down £20,288 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£83k
↓ 20% YoY
Current Assets
£167k
↓ 14% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £93.1k | £117.4k |
| Current assets | £167.5k | £194.7k |
| Net assets | £83.5k | £103.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-23📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-04-23📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-04-14➖BALFE, Sharon Ross resignedsecretary
- 2024-04-04➕MCDONALD, Colette appointeddirector
- 2024-04-04➖BALFE, Sharon Ross resigneddirector
- 2024-04-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-04-04📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-03📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2018-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-26📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2017-06-28📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2005-04-07🏢Company incorporatedAs CAFE BALFE LIMITED
- 2005-04-07➕BALFE, Lauren Sarah appointeddirector
- 2005-04-07➕BALFE, Sharon Ross appointedsecretary
- 2005-04-07➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-04-07➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-04-07➕BALFE, Sharon Ross appointeddirector
- 2005-04-07➕STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2005-04-07➖STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BALFE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
56/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Lauren Struthers Individual · British · DOB 03/1984 · age 42 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Sharon Ross Balfeceased 01/03/2024· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Hospitality · PA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOZY FOODS LTD→ SC499595 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| EMAN GEE LTD→ SC777179 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FAME GLASGOW LTD→ SC469695 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| FAULKNER GOLDIE SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC728720 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| FOOD TO TASTE GH LTD→ SC633732 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| FUQI5 LTD→ SC880788 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FZ MULTIVENTURE LTD→ SC852878 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GALLUS BREAKS LTD→ SC855145 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GHOUSEFOOD LIMITED→ SC880024 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GLENORCHY LODGE LTD→ SC682268 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GOOD FOOD CO GOUROCK LTD→ SC723663 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| GOTTA LTD→ SC786227 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2005-04-07
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC56101 — Licenced restaurants
Registered office
118 Westblackhall Street
Greenock
PA15 1XR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-21
Last: 2026-04-07
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
BALFE, Lauren Sarah→
Activedirector · ~42y · appointed 2005-04-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCDONALD, Colette→
Activedirector · ~40y · appointed 2024-04-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BALFE, Sharon Ross→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-04-07 · resigned 2024-04-14
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-04-07 · resigned 2005-04-07
BALFE, Sharon Ross→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 2005-04-07 · resigned 2024-04-04
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-04-07 · resigned 2005-04-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (61 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-06-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-04-23
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-13
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-04-04
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-04-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-24