A.P. BURLTON (FARMS) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
01252264 · ltd · incorporated 1976-03-30
Investment thesis
Property vehicle with leveraged stack — refinance / partial-release angle.
Why interesting: Asset-backed; value largely in underlying property; lender engagement likely possible.
Why risky: Multiple lenders to manage; inter-creditor friction and partial-release cost possible.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
£2.76M
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Wholesale of meat and meat products
Sector: Wholesale & retail
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. 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 (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

6 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 48.6y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 48.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · 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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 4 with DOB)
86
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
99 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 £2,763,748
Net assets shrinking
Down £498,790 YoY
Cash YoY
-25%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£98k
↓ 25% YoY
Net Worth
£2.8m
↓ 15% YoY
Current Assets
£143k
↓ 22% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£653k£1.3m£2.0m£2.6m£3.3mFeb 2024Feb 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-02-282024-02-29
Total assets£3.47M£4.05M
Current assets£143.2k£183.2k
Cash£98.1k£130.1k
Debtors£41.1k£52.0k
Net assets£2.76M£3.26M

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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-23
    📄
    replacement-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
    confirmation-statement · RP01CS01
  2. 2025-09-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-08-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-10-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-09-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-11-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-09-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-08-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-08-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  10. 2017-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-11-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2015-11-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-10-01
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2015-10-01
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2014-11-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2014-10-30
    ➖
    BURLTON, Anthony Peter resigned
    director
  17. 2012-10-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  18. 2010-11-05
    ➕
    DUMMETT, Andrew John appointed
    director
  19. 2009-02-18
    ➖
    BURLTON, Dorris resigned
    secretary
  20. 2009-02-18
    ➖
    BURLTON, Dorris resigned
    director
  21. 2006-10-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  22. 2006-10-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  23. 2001-04-06
    ➕
    BURLTON, Michael appointed
    director
  24. 1999-03-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  25. 1995-12-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
  26. 1977-11-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Lloyds Bank LTD
  27. 1976-03-30
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A.P. BURLTON (FARMS) LIMITED

Owner dependency

98/100
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
  • +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 "BURLTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

86/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong 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 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 50 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
6 live charges
low

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

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Michael Burlton
Individual · British · DOB 05/1975 · age 51
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mr Andrew John Dummett
Individual · British · DOB 11/1960 · age 66
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% 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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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
Incorporated1976-03-30
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46320 — Wholesale of meat and meat products

Registered office

Valley Farm
Meldreth
Nr Royston
Herts.
SG8 6JP

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-06
Last: 2025-08-23

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

BURLTON, Michael→
director · ~51y · appointed 2001-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DUMMETT, Andrew John→
director · ~66y · appointed 2010-11-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BURLTON, Dorris→
secretary · resigned 2009-02-18
Resigned
BURLTON, Anthony Peter→
director · ~88y · resigned 2014-10-30
Resigned
BURLTON, Dorris→
director · ~91y · resigned 2009-02-18
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

6
Total charges
6
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property30/10/2012—
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property04/10/2006—
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee & debenture1 property04/10/2006—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Mortgage deed1 property16/03/1999—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank PLC
Single debenture1 property27/12/1995—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank LTD
Single debenture1 property14/11/1977—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (99 total)

replacement-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP01CS01
2026-04-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-09-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-11-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-09-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-08-13