HOT CHOCOLATE TRUST
🌳Matureactive
SC384635 · private-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption · incorporated 2010-09-01
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other education n.e.c.
Sector: Education
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 82-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 82). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: low (49/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
33 officers (11 active, 33 linked, 33 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (78 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-20📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2026-03-18➕HOPKINS, Vered appointeddirector
- 2025-09-19➖MURDOCH, Ruth Kathleen Elizabeth, Dr resigneddirector
- 2025-09-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-04-25📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-04-24➕KEITH, Sammy appointeddirector
- 2024-10-25📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-10-24➕MIDDLEMISS, Ross Stanley appointeddirector
- 2024-07-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-14📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-06-13➕JOHNSTONE, David Arthur appointeddirector
- 2024-04-26➖BOWSER, Piers Howard Clarkson resigneddirector
- 2024-04-26📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-03-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-02-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-02-20➖SIMPSON, Angela Helen resigneddirector
- 2024-01-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-10-27➖LAFFERTY, Christine Mary resigneddirector
- 2023-10-27📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-08-25➖DOBBIE, Shona Helen, Dr resigneddirector
- 2023-08-25📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-08-25📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-08-24➕JOHNSTONE, Deborah appointeddirector
- 2023-08-24➕MCLEAN, Michaela Robertson appointeddirector
- 2023-08-24➕STRACHAN, Fiona Mary appointeddirector
- 2023-01-28➖FELLOWS, Deborah resigneddirector
- 2023-01-20➖ELWELL-SUTTON, Stephen Albert resigneddirector
- 2022-08-18➖JOHNSTONE, David Duncan resigneddirector
- 2022-08-18➕SIMPSON, Angela Helen appointeddirector
- 2022-03-31➕GIBSON, Sheena appointeddirector
- 2022-03-31➕OSFIELD, David Gareth appointeddirector
- 2021-04-23➖MCDONALD, Amy Anna Slorach resigneddirector
- 2020-11-26➕MURDOCH, Ruth Kathleen Elizabeth, Dr appointeddirector
- 2020-03-16➖BOFFEY, Anthony David resigneddirector
- 2020-02-10➕HARPER, Alan Andrew appointeddirector
- 2019-12-31➖MCCALLUM, Richard John resigneddirector
- 2019-09-12➕DOBBIE, Shona Helen, Dr appointeddirector
- 2019-08-23➖BROWN, Julia Linda resigneddirector
- 2019-08-23➖FARLEY, Deborah Anne resigneddirector
- 2018-10-25➕FELLOWS, Deborah appointeddirector
- 2018-06-28➕BOWSER, Piers Howard Clarkson appointeddirector
Showing most recent 50 of 78 events
Owner dependency
63/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- -11 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
60/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
🔒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 · Education & training · DD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D & P HAPPY DAYS LIMITED→ SC337725 · est 2008 | £489.4k £372.8k–£605.9k | — | — | 2500 | 18y | 78 | 53y |
| ROSEMOUNT LITTLE RASCALS LIMITED→ SC313231 · est 2006 | — | — | — | 1400 | 19y | 82 | 68y |
| SCALLYWAGS CHILDREN'S NURSERY (CARNOUSTIE) LTD.→ SC313550 · est 2006 | — | — | £112.1k | — | 19y | 82 | 74y |
| THE RED SQUIRREL NURSERY LIMITED→ SC297602 · est 2006 | — | — | — | 3700 | 20y | 82 | 63y |
| BHARATIYA ASHRAM→ SC268724 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | 81 | 83y |
| CAFE PROJECT→ SC234935 · est 2002 | — | — | — | 5 | 23y | 81 | 61y |
| RHET ANGUS COUNTRYSIDE INITIATIVE→ SC226733 · est 2002 | — | — | — | 1000 | 24y | 81 | 75y |
| BRIANLIPWORTH.COM LIMITED→ SC399502 · est 2011 | — | — | £857.5k | — | 15y | 80 | 67y |
| FONTSTANE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING LIMITED→ SC367891 · est 2009 | — | — | £7.0k | — | 16y | 80 | 69y |
| THE GYROCOPTER COMPANY UK LTD→ SC329193 · est 2007 | — | — | £52.6k | — | 18y | 80 | 62y |
| TRAINING SOLUTIONS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→ SC333375 · est 2007 | — | — | — | 4 | 18y | 80 | 71y |
| AL-MAKTOUM COLLEGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION→ SC217303 · est 2001 | — | — | — | 1700 | 25y | 79 | 83y |
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
Typeprivate-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption
Incorporated2010-09-01
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC85590 — Other education n.e.c.
Registered office
The Steeple Complex
Nethergate
Dundee
DD1 4DG
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-15
Last: 2025-09-01
Officers (11 active · 22 resigned)
GIBSON, Sheena→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2022-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HARPER, Alan Andrew→
Activedirector · ~82y · appointed 2020-02-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOPKINS, Vered→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2026-03-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JOHNSTONE, David Arthur→
Activedirector · ~76y · appointed 2024-06-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JOHNSTONE, Deborah→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2023-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
KEITH, Sammy→
Activedirector · ~37y · appointed 2025-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCLEAN, Michaela Robertson→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2023-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MELLSTROM, Pamela Wright→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2017-04-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MIDDLEMISS, Ross Stanley→
Activedirector · ~42y · appointed 2024-10-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OSFIELD, David Gareth→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2022-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
STRACHAN, Fiona Mary→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2023-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BOFFEY, Anthony David→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 2010-09-01 · resigned 2020-03-16
BOWSER, Phyllida Margaret Mary→
Resigneddirector · ~89y · appointed 2010-09-01 · resigned 2011-09-21
BOWSER, Piers Howard Clarkson→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 2018-06-28 · resigned 2024-04-26
BRAWLEY, Rebecca Sarah Marguerite→
Resigneddirector · ~44y · appointed 2013-06-12 · resigned 2016-10-06
BROWN, Julia Linda→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2016-03-10 · resigned 2019-08-23
CARTWRIGHT, Alison Jane→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 2010-09-01 · resigned 2014-06-10
DOBBIE, Shona Helen, Dr→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 2019-09-12 · resigned 2023-08-25
ELWELL-SUTTON, Stephen Albert→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · appointed 2014-03-11 · resigned 2023-01-20
FARLEY, Deborah Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~49y · appointed 2011-10-29 · resigned 2019-08-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (110 total)
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-03-20
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2025-06-27
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-04-30
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-04-25
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-07-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-06-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-04-26
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-18