A.G. HIGGINSON AND SONS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive

01375927 · ltd · incorporated 1978-06-29

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 Jan 2025

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

77/100

Strong

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What this business does

Primary activity: Hotels and similar accommodation

Sector: Accommodation & food service

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 65). 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

4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 44.9y

35/100

too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

· Oldest live charge is 44.9 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 (77/100)

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

Lenders & charges

4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)

Directors & officers

7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 5 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared

Director network

Network not yet resolved

Filing history

117 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

77/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

100

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

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	2025-01-31	2024-01-31
Average employees	2	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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 confirmation-statement

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand

2025-10-31
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-01
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-13
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-08-25
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-10-06
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-11-25
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-11-25
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2020-11-25
📄
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2020-11-25
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-11-25
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-11-25
📄
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2020-11-23
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-12-11
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2019-12-11
📄
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2019-12-11
📄
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2019-09-12
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-09-02
➕
HIGGINSON, David appointed
secretary
2019-09-02
➖
HIGGINSON, Anthony Garth resigned
secretary
2019-09-02
➖
HIGGINSON, Anthony Garth resigned
director
2018-10-31
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2016-11-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #3
2016-11-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #2
2016-11-17
🔓
Charge satisfied #1
2014-05-23
➖
HIGGINSON, Doreen Mary resigned
director
2014-05-20
➕
HIGGINSON, David appointed
director
2014-05-20
➕
HIGGINSON, John Edward Francis appointed
director
2014-05-20
➕
HIGGINSON, David appointed
director
2014-05-20
➖
HIGGINSON, David resigned
director
1988-05-09
🔒
Charge registered #4
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1988-04-28
🔒
Charge registered #3
Lender: Allied Irish Finance Company Limited
1987-08-07
🔒
Charge registered #2
Lender: Pahen Wines LTD
1981-08-03
🔒
Charge registered #1
Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
1978-06-29
🏢
Company incorporated
As A.G. HIGGINSON AND SONS LIMITED

Owner dependency

96/100

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 "HIGGINSON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
+Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

79/100

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 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 48 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 med ·

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern

medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners

Name	Shares	Voting rights	Nature of control	Notified
Mr David Higginson Individual · British · DOB 02/1961 · age 65	25–50%	25–50%	board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control	30/06/2016
Mr John Edward Francis Higginson Individual · British · DOB 12/1970 · age 56	25–50%	25–50%	board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control	30/06/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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ADNC HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 12275001 · est 2019 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	6y	—	—
AFGHAN CATERIING LTD→ 15815799 · est 2024 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	1y	—	—
AFRICAN BASE RESTAURANT LTD→ 11632910 · est 2018 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	7y	—	—
AFRO CENTRAL CONTINENTAL UK LTD→ 16705225 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
AFZA SALEEM LTD→ 12636167 · est 2020 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	5y	—	—
AGAE LIMITED→ 16910098 · est 2025 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

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

Incorporated1978-06-29

Jurisdictionengland-wales

Primary SIC55100 — Hotels and similar accommodation

Registered office

2 Regan Way Chetwynd Business Park

Chilwell

Nottingham

NG9 6RZ

United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2026-10-31

Last made up to: 2025-01-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2027-01-14

Last: 2025-12-31

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

HIGGINSON, David→

secretary · appointed 2019-09-02

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

HIGGINSON, David→

director · ~65y · appointed 2014-05-20

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

HIGGINSON, John Edward Francis→

director · ~56y · appointed 2014-05-20

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

HIGGINSON, Anthony Garth→

secretary · resigned 2019-09-02

Resigned

HIGGINSON, Anthony Garth→

director · ~89y · resigned 2019-09-02

Resigned

HIGGINSON, David→

director · ~65y · appointed 2014-05-20 · resigned 2014-05-20

Resigned

HIGGINSON, Doreen Mary→

director · ~88y · resigned 2014-05-23

Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

Total charges

Outstanding

Active lenders

Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown

		Type	Properties
outstanding	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Legal charge	1 property	09/05/1988	—
satisfied	Allied Irish Finance Company Allied Irish Finance Company Limited	Mortgage & debenture	1 property	28/04/1988	17/11/2016
satisfied	Pahen Wines Pahen Wines LTD	Legal charge	1 property	07/08/1987	17/11/2016
satisfied	Barclays Barclays Bank PLC	Legal charge	1 property	03/08/1981	17/11/2016

Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.