FOSTERS FARMS (RINGSTEAD) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
00947508 · ltd · incorporated 1969-02-06
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£1.29M
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
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
Active trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), 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. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 5 lenders · oldest 50.4y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 50.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 5 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

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

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
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
112 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
82
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 £1,290,407
Cash YoY
+139%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£33k
↑ 139% YoY
Net Worth
£1.3m
↑ 1.7% YoY
Current Assets
£224k
↓ 3.9% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£258k£516k£774k£1.0m£1.3mSept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-30
Total assets£2.22M£2.25M
Current assets£224.4k£233.6k
Cash£33.3k£13.9k
Debtors£176.6k£200.6k
Net assets£1.29M£1.27M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
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 (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-05-10
    ➖
    FOSTER, Rosemary resigned
    secretary
  6. 2023-05-10
    ➖
    FOSTER, Rosemary resigned
    director
  7. 2023-05-10
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  8. 2023-05-10
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  9. 2022-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-06-04
    📄
    capital-cancellation-shares
    capital · SH06
  15. 2018-06-04
    📄
    capital-return-purchase-own-shares
    capital · SH03
  16. 2017-07-13
    📄
    capital-alter-shares-redemption-statement-of-capital
    capital · SH02
  17. 2017-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2015-10-15
    ➖
    FOSTER, Harold resigned
    director
  19. 2008-10-15
    ➕
    FOSTER, James Peter appointed
    director
  20. 1999-05-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Amc Bank Limited
  21. 1988-06-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
  22. 1988-06-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
  23. 1986-04-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
  24. 1976-11-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Limited
  25. 1976-08-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  26. 1976-02-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corp LTD.
  27. 1969-02-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As FOSTERS FARMS (RINGSTEAD) LIMITED

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "FOSTER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

78/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 57 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 low
7 live charges
low

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

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr James Peter Foster
Individual · British · DOB 07/1966 · age 60
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016

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 →

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CRICK ALPACAS FOR WELLBEING LTD→
15659813 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
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14184684 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
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13041717 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
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13524114 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
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————7y——
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
Incorporated1969-02-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

The Grange
Ringstead
Kettering
Northants
NN14 4DT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-17
Last: 2026-04-03

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

FOSTER, James Peter→
director · ~60y · appointed 2008-10-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FOSTER, Rosemary→
secretary · resigned 2023-05-10
Resigned
FOSTER, Harold→
director · ~96y · resigned 2015-10-15
Resigned
FOSTER, Rosemary→
director · ~89y · resigned 2023-05-10
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
7
Outstanding
4
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Amc Bank
Amc Bank Limited
Deed of transitional charge1 property13/05/1999—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
Further charge1 property22/06/1988—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
Further charge1 property22/06/1988—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
Further charge1 property16/04/1986—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Limited
Further charge1 property23/11/1976—
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property31/08/1976—
outstanding
The Agricultural Mortgage Corp .
The Agricultural Mortgage Corp LTD.
Legal charge1 property18/02/1976—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (112 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-05-10
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-02