JOHN DOBSON & SON (CARLTON) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
00507145 · ltd · incorporated 1952-04-19
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£10.56M
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01130SIC 01130
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 6 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (53/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

15 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 49.1y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 49.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
15 charges (15/15 with lender, 15/15 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
129 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
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
74
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £10,558,127
Net assets shrinking
Down £196,600 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 82% YoY
Cash YoY
-82%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£169k
↓ 82% YoY
Net Worth
£11m
↓ 1.8% YoY
Current Assets
£1.4m
↓ 34% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£2.2m£4.3m£6.5m£8.6m£11mMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£12.50M£12.64M
Current assets£1.44M£2.19M
Cash£169.3k£929.7k
Debtors£513.1k£439.5k
Net assets£10.56M£10.75M

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 (44 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-24
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  3. 2024-11-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-01-18
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  7. 2022-01-14
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  8. 2021-12-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-08-10
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  10. 2021-04-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-11-28
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  13. 2019-11-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #15
    Lender: Asset Capital Investments Limited
  14. 2018-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-12-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-08-01
    ➕
    DOBSON, Simon Howard appointed
    secretary
  17. 2016-08-01
    ➖
    DOBSON, Rita resigned
    secretary
  18. 2016-08-01
    ➖
    DOBSON, Rita resigned
    director
  19. 2011-10-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #14
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Yorkshire Bank)
  20. 2011-09-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  21. 2011-09-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  22. 2011-09-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  23. 2011-09-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  24. 2011-09-22
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  25. 2011-09-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  26. 2011-09-17
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  27. 2010-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #13
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  28. 2010-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #12
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  29. 2010-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #11
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  30. 2010-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #10
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  31. 2010-12-08
    🔒
    Charge registered #9
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  32. 2010-03-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  33. 2009-07-11
    ➖
    DOBSON, John resigned
    director
  34. 2009-01-19
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  35. 1998-02-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  36. 1998-02-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  37. 1997-12-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  38. 1995-04-10
    ➕
    DOBSON, Rita appointed
    director
  39. 1995-03-31
    ➖
    DOBSON, John Richard resigned
    director
  40. 1995-03-28
    ➖
    DOBSON, John Richard resigned
    director
  41. 1994-05-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  42. 1994-05-03
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Midland Bank PLC
  43. 1977-05-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Midland Bank LTD
  44. 1952-04-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As JOHN DOBSON & SON (CARLTON) LIMITED

Owner dependency

100/100
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 "DOBSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 74 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 med · 1 low
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

8 live charges
low

Heavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Simon Howard Dobson
Individual · British · DOB 01/1960 · age 66
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting30/06/2016

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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated1952-04-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

Greenend Farm
Carlton
Wakefield
WF3 3QR
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-07
Last: 2026-01-24

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

DOBSON, Simon Howard→
secretary · appointed 2016-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DOBSON, Simon Howard→
director · ~66y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DOBSON, Rita→
secretary · resigned 2016-08-01
Resigned
DOBSON, John Richard→
director · ~71y · resigned 1995-03-31
Resigned
DOBSON, John Richard→
director · ~71y · resigned 1995-03-28
Resigned
DOBSON, John→
director · ~101y · resigned 2009-07-11
Resigned
DOBSON, Rita→
director · ~102y · appointed 1995-04-10 · resigned 2016-08-01
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

15
Total charges
8
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:15 of 15 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Asset Capital Investments
Asset Capital Investments Limited
A registered charge1 property27/11/2019—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Yorkshire Bank)
Legal mortgage1 property21/10/2011—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property08/12/2010—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property08/12/2010—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property08/12/2010—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property08/12/2010—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property08/12/2010—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Debenture1 property23/03/2010—
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property19/01/200917/09/2011
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal mortgage2 properties10/02/199817/09/2011
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property10/02/199822/09/2011
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property01/12/199722/09/2011
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property16/05/199422/09/2011
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property03/05/199422/09/2011
satisfied
Midland Bank
Midland Bank LTD
Mortgage1 property20/05/197722/09/2011
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (129 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-07
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-16
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-01-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-14
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-29
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-08-10