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joeypesci
joeypesci Posts: 671 Forumite
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Anyone know how you'd find a company on Companies House when you don't know their trading name?

It's not important I'm just being nosey.

It's for Lotus House Chinese Take-Away, Sompting.

A old guy and his family have run it for years and he goes off to China for a month each year for a holiday. He's disappeared again but been longer this time. Thought the woman there now was a relative but recently found out that no, she's the new owner. Word on the street is he wanted to retire quietly, I'm thinking it may actually been part of the sale. As in "We'll give you more if you go quietly in the hope people think you're just on holiday so we don't lose loyal customers".

I think my last thought there is a stupid one :) people will eventually find out. More than likely he just wanted to retire quietly and head back to China.

So being nosey was looking for the business on Companies House so I could see the change but don't know what they were trading under. Don't even know what his name was.

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  • Slinky
    Slinky Posts: 9,985 Forumite
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    What makes you think the business was a limited company? It could have been himself trading as or in a partnership with his family. What they were 'trading under' was Lotus House Chinese takeaway. What you appear to be looking for is whether there was XYZ Ltd trading as Lotus House... You could be barking up the wrong tree completely.
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  • 00ec25
    00ec25 Posts: 9,123 Forumite
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    edited 11 November 2017 at 1:19AM
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    if there are no notices on display in the shop that you can read easily which list the legal name (insurance certificate? hygiene certificate) then I suggest you mind your own business as your cause for concern is well dubious.

    the future of the shop will be decided on how well it continues to serve its customers, not who owns it.
  • glentoran99
    glentoran99 Posts: 5,821 Forumite
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    joeypesci wrote: »
    Anyone know how you'd find a company on Companies House when you don't know their trading name?

    It's not important I'm just being nosey.

    It's for Lotus House Chinese Take-Away, Sompting.

    A old guy and his family have run it for years and he goes off to China for a month each year for a holiday. He's disappeared again but been longer this time. Thought the woman there now was a relative but recently found out that no, she's the new owner. Word on the street is he wanted to retire quietly, I'm thinking it may actually been part of the sale. As in "We'll give you more if you go quietly in the hope people think you're just on holiday so we don't lose loyal customers".

    I think my last thought there is a stupid one :) people will eventually find out. More than likely he just wanted to retire quietly and head back to China.

    So being nosey was looking for the business on Companies House so I could see the change but don't know what they were trading under. Don't even know what his name was.


    is this not it? company 08913980
  • joeypesci
    joeypesci Posts: 671 Forumite
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    glentoran99 wrote: »
    is this not it? company 08913980

    Unfortunately not, no.
  • joeypesci
    joeypesci Posts: 671 Forumite
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    00ec25 wrote: »
    if there are no notices on display in the shop that you can read easily which list the legal name (insurance certificate? hygiene certificate) then I suggest you mind your own business as your cause for concern is well dubious.

    the future of the shop will be decided on how well it continues to serve its customers, not who owns it.

    Arsey.

    You misunderstand there is no dubious intentions it's just human curiosity. Been going there for years and with the new family that run it, the taste is different and not as nice as it was before. So yes, it is decided on who owns it. Despite this, the new family are just as nice as the last, we all just hope they bring back the great taste from before.

    When you've been going since you were young, its human nature to want to know what happened to the family that were previously running it. Yes, you can say its no ones business but the families but still I'm curious.
  • 00ec25
    00ec25 Posts: 9,123 Forumite
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    edited 17 November 2017 at 3:12PM
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    joeypesci wrote: »
    Yes, you can say its no ones business but the families but still I'm curious.
    then ask the new owners to their face what happened to the old owners and can they please get the recipe from the old owner (or you'll take your custom elsewhere).

    No need for skullduggery in searching for ownership details. As a customer you have a reasonable request and a chance to reminisce about the old and/or build a rapport with the new owners. ("arsey" because you said you were just being nosey and seem to want to go behind people's backs, when your query could be resolved politely in the open)
  • spadoosh
    spadoosh Posts: 8,732 Forumite
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    00ec25 wrote: »
    then ask the new owners to their face what happened to the old owners and can they please get the recipe from the old owner (or you'll take your custom elsewhere).

    No need for skullduggery in searching for ownership details. As a customer you have a reasonable request and a chance to reminisce about the old and/or build a rapport with the new owners. ("arsey" because you seem to want to go behind people's backs when your query could be resolved politely in the open)

    Anyone is allowed to look on the companies house website for whatever reasons they see fit.

    I recently did it myself to look at the accounts of the nursery i was sending my daughter to. I couldve asked but then they could lie or not know.
  • 00ec25
    00ec25 Posts: 9,123 Forumite
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    spadoosh wrote: »
    Anyone is allowed to look on the companies house website for whatever reasons they see fit.

    I recently did it myself to look at the accounts of the nursery i was sending my daughter to. I couldve asked but then they could lie or not know.
    agreed, I am on there at least once a month for due diligence on client prospects.
    However, merely knowing the name of the owners is not the real questions being asked, which seem to be: are they coming back and will the taste return. Neither of those issues are ownership related. Hence face to face much better,
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