FORDHOUSE FARMS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC054740 · ltd · incorporated 1973-12-17
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
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 50.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
£249.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 50.7y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 50.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
11 officers (2 active, 11 linked, 7 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
111 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
70
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 · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £249,094
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£249k
↑ 16% YoY
Current Assets
£295k
↓ 4.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £249.1k | £214.9k |
| Current assets | £294.8k | £309.1k |
| Net assets | £249.1k | £214.9k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-08➕REID, Linda appointeddirector
- 2024-03-08📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-19📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-05-19📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-23➖RATTRAY, Sheila Edith Grant resignedsecretary
- 2019-08-23➖REID, William Gordon resigneddirector
- 2019-06-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-26📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2016-10-26📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2016-10-24➕RATTRAY, Sheila Edith Grant appointedsecretary
- 2016-10-24➖REID, Alastair Donald resignedsecretary
- 1997-11-23➕REID, Alastair Donald appointedsecretary
- 1997-11-23➖CLARK & WALLACE SOLICITORS resignedcorporate-secretary
- 1997-01-28➕REID, William Gordon appointeddirector
- 1997-01-10➖REID, Alastair Donald resignedsecretary
- 1997-01-10➕CLARK & WALLACE SOLICITORS appointedcorporate-secretary
- 1996-12-06➖REID, William Ferris resigneddirector
- 1996-02-29➖REID, William Gordon resigneddirector
- 1993-11-04➖REID, Douglas Graham resigneddirector
- 1992-11-19➖REID, Eleanor Amy resigneddirector
- 1975-07-24🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1973-12-17🏢Company incorporatedAs FORDHOUSE FARMS LIMITED
Owner dependency
81/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alastair Donald Reid Individual · British · DOB 12/1947 · age 79 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board controlsig. influence50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control · significant influence · firm interest | 30/11/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · DD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARDEN LIVESTOCK LIMITED→ SC281983 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| CHERRYTREES DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ SC162671 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| DON AGRI SERVICES LIMITED→ SC311614 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| DRONLEY FARMING LTD→ SC535245 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DUKESWOOD NURSERY LIMITED→ SC483800 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| EAST PITKIERIE LIMITED→ SC614118 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EPIGENETICA LIMITED→ SC605559 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| FIMM POTATOES LTD→ SC386777 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| G.B. PATTULLO & SONS LIMITED→ SC029490 · est 1953 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 72y | — | — |
| GARROWS FARM LIMITED→ SC040441 · est 1964 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 61y | — | — |
| GB & AM ANDERSON LIMITED→ SC165087 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| GENESIS CELLARDYKE LTD→ SC634745 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1973-12-17
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Fordhouse Of Dun
By Montrose
Angus
DD10 9LW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-16
Last: 2025-12-02
Officers (2 active · 9 resigned)
Active
Active
RATTRAY, Sheila Edith Grant→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2016-10-24 · resigned 2019-08-23
REID, Alastair Donald→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-11-23 · resigned 2016-10-24
REID, Alastair Donald→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1997-01-10
CLARK & WALLACE SOLICITORS→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 1997-01-10 · resigned 1997-11-23
REID, Douglas Graham→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · resigned 1993-11-04
REID, Eleanor Amy→
Resigneddirector · ~108y · resigned 1992-11-19
REID, William Gordon→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 1997-01-28 · resigned 2019-08-23
REID, William Ferris→
Resigneddirector · ~113y · resigned 1996-12-06
REID, William Gordon→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · resigned 1996-02-29
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 24/07/1975 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (111 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-24
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-03-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-23
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-05-19
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-26