E.A.BARNES & SONS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00615898 · ltd · incorporated 1958-12-01
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 20.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£1.42M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 38110
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 20.4y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)
84
Ownership & PSC
3 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
100 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
80
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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,417,357
Cash YoY
+13%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£754k
↑ 13% YoY
Net Worth
£1.4m
↑ 4.3% YoY
Current Assets
£1.4m
↑ 22% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.73M | £1.71M |
| Current assets | £1.39M | £1.14M |
| Cash | £753.9k | £669.3k |
| Debtors | £636.0k | £467.9k |
| Net assets | £1.42M | £1.36M |
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 (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-01-09📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2024-01-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-12-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-12-27📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2018-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-10-27🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2009-06-13🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2009-03-31➖BARNES, Ernest Albert resigneddirector
- 2009-03-31➖BARNES, Jillian Margaret resigneddirector
- 2006-01-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 1997-04-24➕SMITH, Sarah Jane appointeddirector
- 1997-03-10➕SMITH, Jeffrey Stephen appointeddirector
- 1996-01-01➕SMITH, Sarah Jane appointedsecretary
- 1996-01-01➖BARNES, Ernest Albert resignedsecretary
- 1994-04-30➖BARNES, Emily Mabel resigneddirector
- 1958-12-01🏢Company incorporatedAs E.A.BARNES & SONS LIMITED
Owner dependency
84/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 68 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- 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.)
Group structure
E J & H Property Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
E J & H Property Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
E.A.BARNES & SONS LIMITED
This company · 00615898
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
3 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
E J & H Property Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 01/05/2024 |
Mrs Sarah Jane Smith Individual · British · DOB 10/1967 · age 59 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 30/06/2016 |
Mr Jeffrey Stephen Smith Individual · British · DOB 12/1962 · age 64 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 30/06/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Energy & utilities · WS postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQUA DRAINAGE & JETTING SERVICES LTD→ 14000190 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BARKER GROUP BIRMINGHAM LIMITED→ 16215733 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BODNETTS COMMERCIAL LIMITED→ 09330343 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| CHASE DRAINS 110 LIMITED→ 13270083 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CLEAR SITE WASTE AND CLEARANCE LTD→ 17013257 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D.R WATER LTD→ 15808056 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| D&S WASTE MANAGEMENT LTD→ 16534943 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DJ & PA PENNILL (HOLDINGS) LTD→ 11724442 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ECO DEMOLITION & CONSERVATION LTD→ 07388988 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ECOBAT SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED→ 14388312 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ECOCLEAR LOGISTICS LTD→ 16260368 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| EKLIV CONSULTANTS LTD→ 14709521 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated1958-12-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC38110 — SIC 38110
Registered office
Unit 5 Vulcan Road
Lichfield
Staffs
WS13 6RW
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
Active
SMITH, Jeffrey Stephen→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 1997-03-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Sarah Jane→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 1997-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BARNES, Ernest Albert→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1996-01-01
BARNES, Emily Mabel→
Resigneddirector · ~111y · resigned 1994-04-30
BARNES, Ernest Albert→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · resigned 2009-03-31
BARNES, Jillian Margaret→
Resigneddirector · ~85y · resigned 2009-03-31
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 27/10/2011 | — | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 30/01/2006 | 13/06/2009 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (100 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-01-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-09
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2025-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-01-27