FOOD SCIENCE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC352591 · ltd · incorporated 2008-12-16
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 May 2025
Net worth
£67.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10890
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 83-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 83). 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 · 2 lenders · oldest 12.1y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 12.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (82/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
49 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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £67,196
Cash YoY
+18%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£78k
↑ 18% YoY
Net Worth
£67k
↑ 23% YoY
Current Assets
£81k
↑ 16% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £79.7k | £67.1k |
| Current assets | £81.0k | £70.1k |
| Cash | £77.8k | £66.0k |
| Debtors | £3.2k | £4.1k |
| Net assets | £67.2k | £54.6k |
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
5
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
5
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-27📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-02-27📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2026-02-23📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2026-02-23🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2025-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-05-31➖BANKIER, Ian Patrick resigneddirector
- 2023-05-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-12-18➖CHILTON, Elie resigneddirector
- 2022-02-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-02-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-27📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2019-02-27🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2018-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-01➕CHILTON, Elie appointeddirector
- 2015-06-08🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2014-04-03🔒Charge registered #1Lender: West of Scotland Loan Fund
- 2011-01-11➕PICKARD, James Frederick, Dr appointeddirector
- 2008-12-16🏢Company incorporatedAs FOOD SCIENCE LIMITED
- 2008-12-16➕BANKIER, Ian Patrick appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
98/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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
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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dr James Frederick Pickard Individual · British · DOB 10/1943 · age 83 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 08/07/2025 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mih Technologies Ltdceased 08/07/2025· 75-100% shares
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 · KA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARRAN BREW LTD.→ SC177387 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| ARRAN BREWERY PLC→ SC430232 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AYRSHIRE RIVIERA CIDER LTD→ SC683636 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BROWNINGS THE BAKERS LIMITED→ SC218108 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| BURNANNE DISTILLING LIMITED→ SC787821 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CAMERON CONFECTIONS LTD→ SC407272 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CUPCAKE BOUQUETS LTD→ SC818241 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| EILEAN CRUINN LIMITED→ SC741847 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ELMBRONZE LIMITED→ SC150540 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| FRESH FUEL UK LTD→ SC744943 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GENERATIONS SERVICES LTD→ SC859282 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HANDMADE BY KRYSTAL LTD→ SC752258 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2008-12-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC10890 — SIC 10890
Registered office
Mill House Shawsmill
Hurlford
Kilmarnock
East Ayrshire
KA1 5JN
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-30
Last: 2025-12-16
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
PICKARD, James Frederick, Dr→
Activedirector · ~83y · appointed 2011-01-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BANKIER, Ian Patrick→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2008-12-16 · resigned 2023-05-31
CHILTON, Elie→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 2016-11-01 · resigned 2022-12-18
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 08/06/2015 | 23/02/2026 | |
| satisfied | West of Scotland Loan Fund | A registered charge | — | 03/04/2014 | 27/02/2019 |
Recent filings (49 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-02-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-02-27
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-02-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-05
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-12-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-02
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-12-27
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-02-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-16