BIDDENDEN VINEYARDS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01202120 · ltd · incorporated 1975-03-03
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 11030
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). 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 45.7y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 45.7 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 (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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
103 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 | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 3800 | 3800 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-11📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2025-03-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-03-07📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-03-07📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2024-05-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2020-09-17📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2006-08-29➖BARNES, Richard Arthur resigneddirector
- 2001-12-03🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 1998-05-12➕BARNES, Richard Julian appointeddirector
- 1998-05-12➕BARNES, Sally Louise appointeddirector
- 1998-05-12➖BARNES, Joyce Mary resigneddirector
- 1997-10-23➕BARNES, Sally Louise appointedsecretary
- 1997-10-23➖BARNES, Joyce Mary resignedsecretary
- 1996-04-19🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1980-11-10🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Midland Bank LTD
- 1975-03-03🏢Company incorporatedAs BIDDENDEN VINEYARDS 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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +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 66. 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 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 51 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
Brachers Trust Corporation Limited holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.
🏛️significant stake
Brachers Trust Corporation Limited
Corporate parent · holds 25-50% shares
⬇
BIDDENDEN VINEYARDS LIMITED
This company · 01202120
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Richard Julian Barnes Individual · British · DOB 08/1960 · age 66 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control · trust interest | 06/04/2016 |
Brachers Trust Corporation Limited Corporate entity | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · trust interest | 02/04/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Private Capital Trustees Limitedceased 02/04/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · trust interest
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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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALEX'S CAKE BOUTIQUE LIMITED→ 10332550 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ATOM DRINKS LIMITED→ 11251839 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ATOM GROUP LIMITED→ 11251709 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| BOATHOUSE KITCHEN LTD→ 13070778 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BOC MANN LTD→ 17108537 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BOOYAH VITALITY TRADING LIMITED→ 13740606 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BRAMBLE BREWS LTD→ 12632327 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BRAMBLES TREATS LTD→ 16965809 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BRAMLEY'S FARM SHOP LTD→ 15777242 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BREAKY BOTTOM LTD→ 08717583 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BREWING BROTHERS BREWERY LTD→ 12794087 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BRODMOORE LTD→ 12052836 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1975-03-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC11030 — SIC 11030
Registered office
Little Whatmans Farm
Biddenden
Kent
TN27 8DF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-25
Last: 2026-03-11
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
BARNES, Sally Louise→
Activesecretary · appointed 1997-10-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BARNES, Richard Julian→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 1998-05-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BARNES, Sally Louise→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 1998-05-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BARNES, Joyce Mary→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1997-10-23
BARNES, Joyce Mary→
Resigneddirector · ~94y · resigned 1998-05-12
BARNES, Richard Arthur→
Resigneddirector · ~98y · resigned 2006-08-29
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 03/12/2001 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 2 properties | 19/04/1996 | — | |
| outstanding | Midland Bank Midland Bank LTD | Charge | 1 property | 10/11/1980 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (103 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-21
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2025-03-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-03-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-03-07
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2025-03-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-21