J J JOHNSTON (FARMS) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01320452 · ltd · incorporated 1977-07-07
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 13.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£1.78M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 01420SIC 01420
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 77). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 13.0y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 13.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
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
89 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £1,782,609
Cash YoY
+3%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£532k
↑ 3.2% YoY
Net Worth
£1.8m
↑ 2.5% YoY
Current Assets
£1.1m
↓ 6.3% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.82M | £1.80M |
| Current assets | £1.14M | £1.21M |
| Cash | £531.8k | £515.2k |
| Debtors | £391.9k | £400.2k |
| Net assets | £1.78M | £1.74M |
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-02📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-11📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-01-09📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-06-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2007-08-25➖JOHNSTON, Marion resigneddirector
- 1994-12-27➕JOHNSTON, John Shanks appointedsecretary
- 1994-12-27➖JOHNSTON, John James resignedsecretary
- 1994-12-27➖JOHNSTON, John James resigneddirector
- 1977-07-07🏢Company incorporatedAs J J JOHNSTON (FARMS) LIMITED
Owner dependency
96/100
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 "JOHNSTON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
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 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 49 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Shanks Johnston Individual · British · DOB 02/1949 · age 77 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/07/2016 |
Mr James Carlaw Smith Johnston Individual · British · DOB 09/1950 · age 76 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/07/2016 |
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 · WV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A P TRAINING LTD→ 14841956 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABBISS FARMING LIMITED→ 16783862 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANGLO-AFRICAN CARBON SEQUESTRATION LTD→ 15796868 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BARKS AND TRAILS LIMITED→ 16812264 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BRINDLEY FARMS LIMITED→ 01271338 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| CHASE55 LIMITED→ 16185872 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DJM F LTD→ 13263918 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| FJORDS COMMUNITY CIC→ 16607292 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HILLVIEW HARDY PLANTS LIMITED→ 04626619 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| IN ABUNDANCE CARE LTD→ 14778869 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| JAYJAY NUGA ENTERPRISE LIMITED→ 12889718 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| JOHN CHESTER LIMITED→ 06993264 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1977-07-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Wrottesley Lodge Farm
Albrighton
Wolverhampton
W Midlands
WV7 3AP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-14
Last: 2025-12-31
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
JOHNSTON, John Shanks→
Activesecretary · appointed 1994-12-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
Active
JOHNSTON, John James→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1994-12-27
JOHNSTON, John James→
Resigneddirector · ~108y · resigned 1994-12-27
JOHNSTON, Marion→
Resigneddirector · ~104y · resigned 2007-08-25
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 19/06/2013 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (89 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-12-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-11
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-01-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-10