A.E. RICE & CO. LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00567162 · ltd · incorporated 1956-06-06
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 Dec 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 50.0y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 50.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
95 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1000 | 1000 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-04-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-14➕RODBOURNE, Harvey appointeddirector
- 2024-02-14📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-02-14📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-02-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-17📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-01-17📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-01-17📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-10-15➖RICE, Yvonne resignedsecretary
- 2022-10-15➖RICE, Yvonne resigneddirector
- 2022-02-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2005-04-12🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 1992-04-28🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1992-04-28🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1992-02-10➖RICE, Albert Ernest resigneddirector
- 1992-02-01➕CARTER, Debra Gail appointeddirector
- 1976-05-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Bank LTD
- 1956-06-06🏢Company incorporatedAs A.E. RICE & CO. LIMITED
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 34 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 34 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
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
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Debra Gail Carter Individual · British · DOB 03/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 31/12/2016 |
Mr Harvey Rodbourne Individual · British · DOB 04/1993 · age 33 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 14/02/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Yvonne Riceceased 15/10/2022· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| >8< ORIGINAL PAINTINGS LIMITED→ 13889549 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 1 MORE GO GAMING LTD→ 13346692 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 24MACX LTD→ 14806550 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 360 COLOMBO LIMITED→ 16912858 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36FASHIONPOINT LTD→ 16234689 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 3R'S RETAIL LTD→ 14351884 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| 7EVN RETAILS LIMITED→ 16832076 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 99K. CRICKET LTD→ 16274655 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A B C HOLIDAY LETS LIMITED→ 04984256 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A DENT LIMITED→ 00293696 · est 1934 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 91y | — | — |
| A FEE-LINGS PROJECT LIMITED→ 09672221 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| A1 ENGRAVING LIMITED→ 06681592 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1956-06-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC47190 — Other retail sale in non-specialised stores
Registered office
109 Regent Road,
Great Yarmouth,
Norfolk
NR30 2AE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
CARTER, Debra Gail→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 1992-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RODBOURNE, Harvey→
Activedirector · ~33y · appointed 2024-02-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
RICE, Yvonne→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2022-10-15
RICE, Albert Ernest→
Resigneddirector · ~111y · resigned 1992-02-10
RICE, Yvonne→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · resigned 2022-10-15
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 12/04/2005 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Fixed and floating charge | 1 property | 28/04/1992 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 28/04/1992 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank LTD | Legal charge | 1 property | 19/05/1976 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (95 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-03-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-05
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-09-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-04-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-02
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-02-14
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-14
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-01-17
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-01-17
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2023-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-02-21