BEN SMITH & SONS(WANTAGE)LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

00600903 · ltd · incorporated 1958-03-20

Investment thesis

Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.

Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.

Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.

🔒Estimated value

—

Upgrade to see

Turnover

—

year to Mar 2025

Net worth

£43.60M

book net assets

Opportunity

74/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: SIC 01500

Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

45112SIC 45112

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 71). Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. 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 (45/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

18 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 61.0y

25/100

too messy

Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.

· Oldest live charge is 61.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
· 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
· Legal-friction score 58/100 (high).

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile

address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

18 charges (18/18 with lender, 18/18 with type)

Directors & officers

11 officers (7 active, 11 linked, 9 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared

Director network

2 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

138 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

74/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

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

Business quality

Adequate — check latest filings for context.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102

Positive net assets

Net assets £43,598,514

Cash YoY

+10%

Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

£5.5m

↑ 10% YoY

Net Worth

£44m

~ YoY

Current Assets

£8.4m

~ YoY

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2025-03-31	2024-03-31
Total assets	£48.29M	£48.09M
Current assets	£8.37M	£8.45M
Cash	£5.52M	£4.99M
Debtors	£978.9k	£1.20M
Net assets	£43.60M	£43.38M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

4 signals 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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filings

• 2 officers
• 2 persons-with-significant-control
• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (52 events)Click to expand

2025-12-16
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-12-16
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-15
➖
BRIDLE, Caroline Kate resigned
director
2025-12-09
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-09
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2025-11-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2025-02-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2024-03-04
📄
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-03-04
📄
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2023-06-28
📄
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2023-06-28
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-06-28
📄
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-06-15
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-02
➕
SMITH, William John appointed
secretary
2023-06-02
➖
SMITH, Gilbert John resigned
secretary
2023-06-02
➖
SMITH, Gilbert John resigned
director
2022-07-05
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-07
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-06-28
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-05-29
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2012-03-01
➕
BRIDLE, Christopher Ian appointed
director
2012-03-01
➕
BRIDLE, Clifford Phillip appointed
director
2012-03-01
➕
FOWLER, Angela Theresa appointed
director
2012-03-01
➕
SHEPHERD, Helen Joanna appointed
director
2012-03-01
➕
SMITH, Ben appointed
director
2012-03-01
➕
SMITH, William John appointed
director
2011-01-05
➖
SMITH(II), Ben resigned
director
2009-10-16
🔒
Charge registered #18
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
2009-09-29
🔒
Charge registered #17
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
2003-08-07
🔓
Charge satisfied #13
2003-08-07
🔓
Charge satisfied #11
2003-08-07
🔓
Charge satisfied #9
2003-08-07
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2002-09-26
🔒
Charge registered #16
Lender: Bp Oil UK Limited
1997-12-10
🔒
Charge registered #15
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1997-10-31
🔒
Charge registered #14
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1996-07-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
1996-07-11
🔒
Charge registered #13
Lender: Bp Oil UK Limited
1993-05-14
🔒
Charge registered #12
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1991-04-03
🔒
Charge registered #11
Lender: Shell UK Limited
1991-04-02
🔒
Charge registered #10
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1989-06-30
🔒
Charge registered #9
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1989-06-30
🔒
Charge registered #8
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1989-06-30
🔒
Charge registered #7
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1989-02-15
🔒
Charge registered #6
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1977-10-04
🔒
Charge registered #5
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1976-12-09
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1965-05-26
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1965-05-26
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC

Showing most recent 50 of 52 events

Owner dependency

78/100

High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS

-6 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SMITH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

73/100

Strong succession signal

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

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

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.

13 live charges

low

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

Group structure

Qubic Trustees Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️

Qubic Trustees Ltd

Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control

ultimate parent

⬇

BEN SMITH & SONS(WANTAGE)LIMITED

This company · 00600903

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
Qubic Trustees Ltd Corporate entity	75–100%	75–100%	board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control	25/11/2025

2 historic (ceased) PSCs

Mrs Helen Joanna Shepherdceased 25/11/2025· significant influence
Mr Gilbert John Smithceased 01/03/2024· significant influence

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 · OX postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
A.G. HEDGES (FARMS) LIMITED→ 00751290 · est 1963 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	63y	—	—
ANDREW MUNNS TREE SURGERY LTD→ 12734943 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
ARBUK LIMITED→ 09577025 · est 2015 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	10y	—	—
ASTHALL WILD CIC→ 15080369 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
ATLAS AUTOMATED SERVICES LTD→ 15854814 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
B J & S WALLIS LIMITED→ 02310306 · est 1988 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	37y	—	—
B.BUCKINGHAM AND SONS LIMITED→ 01007213 · est 1971 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	55y	—	—
BD THOROUGHBREDS LTD→ 17034238 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
BEST NEST HATCHERIES LIMITED→ 02647672 · est 1991 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	34y	—	—
BETTS FARM & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 01356305 · est 1978 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	48y	—	—
BIOTHREAD LIMITED→ 15139857 · est 2023 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	2y	—	—
BJ & R FOORD LIMITED→ 04889054 · 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

Incorporated1958-03-20

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500

Registered office

Manor Road Farm

Manor Road

Wantage

Oxfordshire

OX12 8NE

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-12-31

Last made up to: 2025-03-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-12-30

Last: 2025-12-16