A.E. BROWN (FARMS) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00457089 · ltd · incorporated 1948-06-30
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 Sept 2025
Net worth
£2.33M
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
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 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 73). Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
6 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 45.3y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 45.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (3 active, 10 linked, 7 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
4 connected companies via shared directors
57
Filing history
113 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
82
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £2,333,408
Cash draining
Cash down 41% YoY
Cash YoY
-41%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£11k
↓ 41% YoY
Net Worth
£2.3m
↑ 6.9% YoY
Current Assets
£2.1m
↑ 40% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-09-29 | 2024-09-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £3.79M | £3.75M |
| Current assets | £2.13M | £1.52M |
| Cash | £10.5k | £17.7k |
| Debtors | £1.79M | £1.24M |
| Net assets | £2.33M | £2.18M |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (37 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-30📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2022-10-12📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-10-12📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-10-12📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-05-05➕BROWN, Amanda Jane appointeddirector
- 2021-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-16📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2021-04-14📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-04-13📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-04-13📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-04-13📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-04-13📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-04-01🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2021-03-31➕BROWN, David Michael Harvey appointedsecretary
- 2021-03-31➖BROWN, Christopher Peter resignedsecretary
- 2021-03-31➖BROWN, Andrew Edward resigneddirector
- 2021-03-31➖BROWN, Christopher Peter resigneddirector
- 2021-03-31➖HENTON, Ann Elizabeth resigneddirector
- 2021-02-02📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-02-02🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2013-10-31➖BROWN, Angela Mary resigneddirector
- 2010-02-18🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2000-01-28🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1994-09-30➖BROWN, William Nicholas resigneddirector
- 1992-06-01➕BROWN, Christopher Peter appointedsecretary
- 1992-05-31➖NEWNHAM, Patricia Laura resignedsecretary
- 1981-09-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank LTD
- 1981-03-27🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank LTD
- 1981-03-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank LTD
- 1948-06-30🏢Company incorporatedAs A.E. BROWN (FARMS) LIMITED
Owner dependency
96/100
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 "BROWN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 78 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 low5 live charges
lowHeavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.
Group structure
A.E. Brown (Holdings) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
A.E. Brown (Holdings) Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
⬇
A.E. BROWN (FARMS) LIMITED
This company · 00457089
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A.E. Brown (Holdings) Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 10/10/2022 |
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr David Michael Harvey Brownceased 10/10/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · trust interest
- Mr Christopher Peter Brownceased 10/10/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · trust interest
- Mr Peter Warrenceased 10/10/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control · trust interest
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒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 · Agriculture · PO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.H.BROWN(HAYLING ISLAND)LIMITED→ 00508016 · est 1952 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 73y | — | — |
| ADAM ROLLS TREE SERVICES LTD→ 13552762 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AEOLUS GROUP LIMITED→ 10960511 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AFTON PARK LIMITED→ 05651509 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ALSOILS + LTD→ 05699001 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| AMOTT TREE SURGERY LTD→ 08245535 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AMS CONTRACTING LIMITED→ 07546073 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ANGLING SPIRIT LTD→ 07281172 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ANMORE DRESSAGE LIMITED→ 16891140 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANMORE LIMITED→ 14955832 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| APACHE FORESTRY AND ARBORICULTURE LIMITED→ 10656442 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| APPLEGATE NURSERIES LIMITED→ 04747052 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1948-06-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Hale Manor Farm
Hale Common
Newport
Isle Of Wight
PO30 3AR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-29
Last made up to: 2025-09-29
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-14
Last: 2025-10-31
Officers (3 active · 7 resigned)
BROWN, David Michael Harvey→
Activesecretary · appointed 2021-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BROWN, Amanda Jane→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2022-05-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BROWN, Christopher Peter→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1992-06-01 · resigned 2021-03-31
NEWNHAM, Patricia Laura→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1992-05-31
BROWN, Andrew Edward→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · resigned 2021-03-31
BROWN, Angela Mary→
Resigneddirector · ~96y · resigned 2013-10-31
BROWN, Christopher Peter→
Resigneddirector · ~71y · resigned 2021-03-31
BROWN, William Nicholas→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · resigned 1994-09-30
HENTON, Ann Elizabeth→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · resigned 2021-03-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
6
Total charges
5
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 01/04/2021 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Mortgage | 1 property | 18/02/2010 | 02/02/2021 | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 28/01/2000 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank LTD | Legal charge | 1 property | 15/09/1981 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank LTD | Legal charge | 1 property | 27/03/1981 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank LTD | Guarantee & debenture | 1 property | 13/03/1981 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (113 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-02
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2022-10-12
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-10-12
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-10-12
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-23
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-05-06