BERKSHIRE TROUT FARM LIMITED
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 41.4y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 41.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover 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 | 200 | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
4 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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 2 change-of-name
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-06✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2026-01-06✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-22📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2017-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-01-01➕STEVENSON, Serena Louise appointedsecretary
- 2010-02-05➖SPROSSON, Hilda Margaret resignedsecretary
- 2006-01-12🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2006-01-12🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1996-05-20🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1994-07-15➕SPROSSON, Hilda Margaret appointedsecretary
- 1994-07-15➖STEVENSON, Caroline Margaret resignedsecretary
- 1994-07-15➖STEVENSON, Caroline Margaret resigneddirector
- 1985-01-30🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1979-12-27🏢Company incorporatedAs BERKSHIRE TROUT FARM LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 46 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 med ·Name changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2026-03-06: certificate-change-of-name-company; 2026-01-06: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Michael Rory Stevenson Individual · British · DOB 10/1943 · age 83 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| BEXMINSTER LIMITED→ 01361769 · est 1978 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/05/1996 | 12/01/2006 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 30/01/1985 | 12/01/2006 |