JOHNSTON AND JEFF LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00786417 · ltd · incorporated 1964-01-01
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£5.85M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10920
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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 (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 41.4y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 41.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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
5 charges (5/5 with lender, 5/5 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
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
111 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 · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £5,846,195
Cash draining
Cash down 78% YoY
Cash YoY
-78%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£120k
↓ 78% YoY
Net Worth
£5.8m
↑ 6.1% YoY
Current Assets
£5.8m
↑ 9.6% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £6.64M | £6.52M |
| Current assets | £5.78M | £5.27M |
| Cash | £120.1k | £550.0k |
| Debtors | £2.41M | £2.66M |
| Net assets | £5.85M | £5.51M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
3 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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-18📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-09-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-mediumaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-16📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-12-16🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-11-08📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2021-11-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-11-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-10-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2013-01-10➖JOHNSTON, Alan Ian resigneddirector
- 2008-07-14🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2000-11-09➕JOHNSTON, Fiona appointeddirector
- 2000-10-19➖JOHNSTON, Olive Margaret resigneddirector
- 1999-03-31➕JOHNSTON, Richard Michael appointedsecretary
- 1999-03-31➖JOHNSTON, Alan Ian resignedsecretary
- 1999-02-05🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1997-06-14🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1985-03-01🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1964-04-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Midland Bank Limited
- 1964-01-01🏢Company incorporatedAs JOHNSTON AND JEFF LIMITED
Owner dependency
99/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "JOHNSTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 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
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 63 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.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Richard Michael Johnston Individual · British · DOB 05/1965 · age 61 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Fiona Johnston Individual · British · DOB 06/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAMBERS & FARGUS LIMITED→ 02352279 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| CRANSWICK PET PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 00896298 · est 1967 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 59y | — | — |
| DR LONDON FOODS LTD→ 15590064 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FLOUR AND FEAST LTD→ 13901863 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| HOT PACK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ 11055224 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| JAMES ALEXANDRE LIMITED→ 12641630 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| JAMES T. BLAKEMAN (SERVICES) LIMITED→ 03772993 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| KAKE ROKS LIMITED→ 13581599 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| KARLSHAMNS INTERNATIONAL PLC→ 02366565 · est 1989 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| KARLSHAMNS UK HOLDINGS PLC→ 00083553 · est 1905 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 121y | — | — |
| KIVARO FOODS LTD→ 17071951 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LOTTIE SHAW'S LIMITED→ 02875578 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1964-01-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10920 — SIC 10920
Registered office
Baltic Buildings
Gateway Business Park
Broad Lane Gilberdyke
HU15 2TD
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-06
Last: 2025-11-22
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
JOHNSTON, Richard Michael→
Activesecretary · appointed 1999-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
JOHNSTON, Fiona→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2000-11-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JOHNSTON, Alan Ian→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1999-03-31
JOHNSTON, Alan Ian→
Resigneddirector · ~100y · resigned 2013-01-10
JOHNSTON, Olive Margaret→
Resigneddirector · ~105y · resigned 2000-10-19
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
5
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:5 of 5 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 14/07/2008 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 05/02/1999 | — | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | 2 | 1 property | 14/06/1997 | 16/12/2024 | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge over all book debts | 1 property | 01/03/1985 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank Limited | Mortgage and charge | 1 property | 02/04/1964 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (111 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-medium
accounts · AA
2025-09-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-17
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-12-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-11-08
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2021-11-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-11-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-11-08