A.W. & A.J. BARNARD (FARMS) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00990476 · ltd · incorporated 1970-09-29
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Nov 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 54.7y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 54.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 6 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
102 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 300 | 300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-07-24📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2023-07-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-07-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-26📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2018-04-26📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-31📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-03-15➕BARNARD, John Christopher appointeddirector
- 2017-03-15➖BARNARD, Anthony John resigneddirector
- 2017-03-15➖BARNARD, John Christopher resigneddirector
- 2012-03-28🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2008-12-16➕WALLWIN, Sally-Ann appointedsecretary
- 2008-12-16➖READ, Ann Patricia resignedsecretary
- 2008-12-16➖BARNARD, Anthony William resigneddirector
- 2003-06-06➕BARNARD, John Christopher appointeddirector
- 1998-04-07➖BARNARD, Patricia Ray resigneddirector
- 1995-09-15➕WALLWIN, Sally-Ann appointeddirector
- 1974-12-03🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank LTD
- 1971-11-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Agricultural Mortgage Corportion Limited
- 1970-09-29🏢Company incorporatedAs A.W. & A.J. BARNARD (FARMS) LIMITED
Owner dependency
91/100
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 "BARNARD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
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 58. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 56 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
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Christopher Barnard Individual · British · DOB 01/1970 · age 56 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 15/03/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · CO postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALLENS FARM PARTNERS LTD→ 16465303 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| APONIC LTD→ 09036120 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| APT HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 04909941 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ARIO DOG LTD→ 16578448 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARK WINES LTD→ 15505604 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ASSINGTON FRUITS LIMITED→ 05563908 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| AUBERIES ESTATE FARMS LIMITED→ 00816177 · est 1964 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 61y | — | — |
| BAWBURGH LAKES LTD→ 07908977 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BE GREEN TREE SURGERY LTD→ 05756542 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| BEACON END HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 08483374 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| BENSON RACING LIMITED→ 12630948 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BESTEVENN LIMITED→ 12548450 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1970-09-29
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Gainsford Hall
Toppesfield
Halstead
CO9 4EJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-04
Last: 2026-05-21
Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)
WALLWIN, Sally-Ann→
Activesecretary · appointed 2008-12-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BARNARD, John Christopher→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2017-03-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WALLWIN, Sally-Ann→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 1995-09-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
READ, Ann Patricia→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2008-12-16
BARNARD, Anthony William→
Resigneddirector · ~113y · resigned 2008-12-16
BARNARD, Anthony John→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · resigned 2017-03-15
BARNARD, John Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2003-06-06 · resigned 2017-03-15
BARNARD, Patricia Ray→
Resigneddirector · ~108y · resigned 1998-04-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 28/03/2012 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank LTD | Mortgage | 1 property | 03/12/1974 | — | |
| outstanding | Agricultural Mortgage Corportion Agricultural Mortgage Corportion Limited | Collateral charge | 1 property | 11/11/1971 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (102 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-07-24
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2023-07-24
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-07-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-06-12