A DEARDEN (FARMING) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04448742 · ltd · incorporated 2002-05-28
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
£125.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01450SIC 01450
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -49% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (75/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 2 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
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £125,711
Net assets shrinking
Down £8,706 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 49% YoY
Cash YoY
-49%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£13k
↓ 49% YoY
Net Worth
£126k
↓ 6.5% YoY
Current Assets
£171k
↓ 2.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£35k£70k£105k£141k£176kOct 2023Oct 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-10-312023-10-31
Total assets£136.4k£146.9k
Current assets£171.2k£175.6k
Cash£12.9k£25.4k
Debtors£54.4k£69.7k
Net assets£125.7k£134.4k

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
2
filings
  • • 2 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-22
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  2. 2026-01-22
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2025-07-29
    ➖
    DEARDEN, Alan resigned
    director
  4. 2025-02-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-06-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-07-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-09-26
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  8. 2022-05-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-07-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-07-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-07-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-07-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-07-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-06-02
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-06-02
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  17. 2015-09-15
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  18. 2015-09-01
    ➕
    DEARDEN, Adam Christian appointed
    director
  19. 2007-03-27
    ➕
    DEARDEN, Leigh Alan appointed
    secretary
  20. 2007-03-27
    ➖
    INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  21. 2005-07-12
    ➖
    O'DONOVAN, Sean Roderick resigned
    secretary
  22. 2005-07-12
    ➕
    INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  23. 2002-05-28
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A DEARDEN (FARMING) LIMITED
  24. 2002-05-28
    ➕
    O'DONOVAN, Sean Roderick appointed
    secretary
  25. 2002-05-28
    ➕
    PROFORM COMPANY SECRETARY SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  26. 2002-05-28
    ➖
    PROFORM COMPANY SECRETARY SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  27. 2002-05-28
    ➕
    DEARDEN, Alan appointed
    director
  28. 2002-05-28
    ➕
    PROFORM CORPORATE NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director
  29. 2002-05-28
    ➖
    PROFORM CORPORATE NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DEARDEN" — strong identity link between founder and business.

Succession & seller-readiness

60/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alan Dearden
Individual · British · DOB 08/1944 · age 82
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2017

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Agriculture · DN postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
7 YARDS AG LTD→
15946951 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————1y——
A CLASSIC CLIP LIMITED→
13956722 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————4y——
A F PLUS LTD→
13224995 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————5y——
A J HEADLAND & SON LIMITED→
07725821 · est 2011 · no financials extracted
————14y——
A. HANSON LIMITED→
00508073 · est 1952 · no financials extracted
————73y——
A.T.G. TURNBULL LIMITED→
00842014 · est 1965 · no financials extracted
————61y——
ACUPUNCTURE ON TOUR LTD→
12410537 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————6y——
ADVANCED TREE CARE LIMITED→
04230626 · est 2001 · no financials extracted
————24y——
AGRIMAC (NTH) LTD→
10434938 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
ALL KOI LIMITED→
13590440 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
————4y——
ALTO VERTIGO LIMITED→
12304446 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
ANDERSON BROTHERS LIMITED→
07103185 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
————16y——
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
Typeltd
Incorporated2002-05-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

C/O Wright Vigar 1 Engine House
Marshalls Yard
Gainsborough
DN21 2NA
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-11
Last: 2025-05-28

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

DEARDEN, Leigh Alan→
secretary · appointed 2007-03-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DEARDEN, Adam Christian→
director · ~43y · appointed 2015-09-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
O'DONOVAN, Sean Roderick→
secretary · appointed 2002-05-28 · resigned 2005-07-12
Resigned
INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2005-07-12 · resigned 2007-03-27
Resigned
PROFORM COMPANY SECRETARY SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2002-05-28 · resigned 2002-05-28
Resigned
DEARDEN, Alan→
director · ~82y · appointed 2002-05-28 · resigned 2025-07-29
Resigned
PROFORM CORPORATE NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2002-05-28 · resigned 2002-05-28
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (66 total)

change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-22
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-02
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-29