A.E. MARSHALL & SONS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00653165 · ltd · incorporated 1960-03-21
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 56.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£256.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
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
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

6 live charges · oldest 56.1y

85/100
ready

Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.

  • · Oldest live charge is 56.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

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
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
112 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £256,648
Cash YoY
+47%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£89k
↑ 47% YoY
Net Worth
£257k
↑ 8.7% YoY
Current Assets
£101k
↑ 31% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£51k£103k£154k£205k£257kMar 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£258.1k£242.0k
Current assets£101.4k£77.5k
Cash£88.6k£60.4k
Debtors£8.8k£11.5k
Net assets£256.6k£236.1k

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
2
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-09
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  2. 2026-04-09
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  3. 2025-12-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2025-09-02
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2024-11-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-12-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-09-12
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2022-11-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-10-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-11-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-05-18
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  15. 2017-05-18
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  16. 2017-05-18
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  17. 2017-05-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  18. 2017-05-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  19. 2017-05-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  20. 2017-05-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  21. 2017-05-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  22. 2017-05-18
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  23. 2016-09-02
    ➖
    MARSHALL, Eric resigned
    director
  24. 2015-07-30
    ➕
    LEATHER, Brian Sean appointed
    director
  25. 2009-04-01
    ➕
    LEATHER, Susan appointed
    secretary
  26. 2009-04-01
    ➕
    LEATHER, Susan appointed
    director
  27. 2009-04-01
    ➖
    MARSHALL, Doreen resigned
    secretary
  28. 2009-04-01
    ➖
    MARSHALL, Doreen resigned
    director
  29. 1989-11-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  30. 1980-02-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  31. 1980-02-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  32. 1980-02-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  33. 1970-03-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  34. 1970-03-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  35. 1960-03-21
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A.E. MARSHALL & SONS LIMITED

Owner dependency

84/100
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
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

69/100
Strong succession signal

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 66 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

1 med ·
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.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Brian Sean Leather
Individual · British · DOB 03/1965 · age 61
25–50%
—25-50% shares06/04/2026
Mrs Susan Leather
Individual · British · DOB 01/1965 · age 61
25–50%
—25-50% shares01/09/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1960-03-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

Holm Leigh Farm
Glazebury
Warrington
Cheshire
WA3 5PP

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-15
Last: 2025-09-01

Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)

LEATHER, Susan→
secretary · appointed 2009-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LEATHER, Brian Sean→
director · ~61y · appointed 2015-07-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LEATHER, Susan→
director · ~61y · appointed 2009-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MARSHALL, Doreen→
secretary · resigned 2009-04-01
Resigned
MARSHALL, Doreen→
director · ~90y · resigned 2009-04-01
Resigned
MARSHALL, Eric→
director · ~91y · resigned 2016-09-02
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

6
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/11/198918/05/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/02/198018/05/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/02/198018/05/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property14/02/198018/05/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property16/03/197018/05/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property16/03/197018/05/2017

Recent filings (112 total)

notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-04-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-02
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-09-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-14