FIREPLACES DIRECT BY ROBERT NICHOLSON LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC399986 · ltd · incorporated 2011-05-20
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46150
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (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 (65/100).
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
3 officers (3 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
30 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 700 | 700 |
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 (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-30📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-05-21📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-05-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-05-20🏢Company incorporatedAs FIREPLACES DIRECT BY ROBERT NICHOLSON LTD
- 2011-05-20➕NICHOLSON, Lesley Anne appointedsecretary
- 2011-05-20➕NICHOLSON, Lesley Anne appointeddirector
- 2011-05-20➕NICHOLSON, Robert John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
89/100
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 "NICHOLSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
59/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Lesley Anne Nicholson Individual · British · DOB 05/1969 · age 57 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 20/05/2016 |
Mr Robert John Nicholson Individual · British · DOB 01/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 20/05/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · DG postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABSOLUTE VITAMINS LIMITED→ SC787572 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARLA FOODS NAIRN LIMITED→ SC188780 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| BALTUS LIMITED→ SC505940 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| BORDER BIOFUELS LIMITED→ SC443328 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| BORDERS GOURMET LIMITED→ SC407944 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BRIGSTON & CO WHOLESALE LIMITED→ SC623627 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CARDZONE (OVERSEAS) LIMITED→ SC553925 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DES SAINTS & TRADE LIMITED→ SC871117 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ETB TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED→ SC224120 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| GRT MACHINERY LIMITED→ SC482582 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| HALL'S OF SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC076842 · est 1981 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
| HALLS DIRECT LIMITED→ SC439707 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2011-05-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46150 — SIC 46150
Registered office
The Garage Liffey Cottage Craig Road
Rhonehouse
Castle Douglas
DG7 1UB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-03
Last: 2025-05-20
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
NICHOLSON, Lesley Anne→
Activesecretary · appointed 2011-05-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
NICHOLSON, Lesley Anne→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 2011-05-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
NICHOLSON, Robert John→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2011-05-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (30 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-06-14