B.J. COVELL & SONS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01204769 · ltd · incorporated 1975-03-24
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 42.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01470
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 42.4y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 42.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — 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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
Ownership & PSC
4 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
110 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 · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-05-29 | 2024-05-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-30📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2024-08-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-08-09📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-05-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-06-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-06-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2020-06-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 1998-12-07🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Yorkshire Bank PLC
- 1998-09-08🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Yorkshire Bank PLC
- 1996-03-14➕WILKINSON, Mary Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 1996-03-14➖THORPE, Colin Fredrick resigneddirector
- 1996-02-27➖COVELL, Philip Samuel resigneddirector
- 1992-05-07➕THORPE, Colin Fredrick appointeddirector
- 1991-06-03🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1984-02-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1975-03-24🏢Company incorporatedAs B.J. COVELL & SONS LIMITED
Owner dependency
98/100
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 "COVELL" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
96/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 30 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.)
Shareholders & ownership
4 active beneficial owners · fragmented| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miss Charlotte Louise Maxwell-Jones Individual · British · DOB 10/1990 · age 36 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 16/06/2020 |
Miss Victoria Mere Sinclair Individual · British · DOB 04/1988 · age 38 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 16/06/2020 |
Mrs Olga Covell Individual · Russian · DOB 04/1982 · age 44 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 16/06/2020 |
Mr Robert Henry Covell Individual · British · DOB 05/1962 · age 64 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 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
Active · Agriculture · LN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUBBLES DAYCARE (LINCOLN) LIMITED→ 08430466 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| C T ALLIS LIMITED→ 15717217 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| C.A.R. & J.M. STUBBS LTD→ 10301112 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| C.H. CRUST (FARMS) LIMITED→ 01362727 · est 1978 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| C.TOMLINSON LIMITED→ 00618413 · est 1959 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 67y | — | — |
| CHURCH FARM SWAYFIELD LTD→ 12895571 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CURO SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CIC→ 14122991 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| D & R WOODALL LIMITED→ 06831187 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| D A FARMS LIMITED→ 16790227 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D. HAXBY FARMS LIMITED→ 01319315 · est 1977 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| D.F. MEANWELL LIMITED→ 01150518 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| D.W.HARRISON LIMITED→ 00846757 · est 1965 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 60y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1975-03-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01470 — SIC 01470
Registered office
Brooklyn
Ludford
Lincolnshire
LN8 6AH
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-29
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-07-01
Last: 2026-06-17
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
Active
Active
WILKINSON, Mary Elizabeth→
Activedirector · ~79y · appointed 1996-03-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COVELL, Philip Samuel→
Resigneddirector · ~109y · resigned 1996-02-27
THORPE, Colin Fredrick→
Resigneddirector · ~90y · appointed 1992-05-07 · resigned 1996-03-14
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Yorkshire Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 07/12/1998 | — | |
| outstanding | Virgin Money Yorkshire Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 08/09/1998 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 16/02/1984 | 03/06/1991 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-23
change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortened
accounts · AA01
2025-05-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-12
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-08-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-30