A E NESBITT FARMS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03110361 · ltd · incorporated 1995-10-05
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£3.99M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01500SIC 01500
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 82-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 82). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -46% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 24.9y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 24.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

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, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
96 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £3,991,228
Net assets shrinking
Down £70,628 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 46% YoY
Cash YoY
-46%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£51k
↓ 46% YoY
Net Worth
£4.0m
↓ 1.7% YoY
Current Assets
£248k
↓ 4.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£812k£1.6m£2.4m£3.2m£4.1mSept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-30
Total assets£3.99M£4.06M
Current assets£247.7k£259.3k
Cash£50.7k£94.3k
Debtors£41.0k£42.8k
Net assets£3.99M£4.06M

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-04-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-06-14
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2024-03-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-06-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-02-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-05-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-02-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-03-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-01-29
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  11. 2019-01-16
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  12. 2018-02-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-06-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-05-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-10-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2006-03-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  17. 2006-03-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2002-04-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Hsbc Republic Bank (UK) Limited
  19. 2001-07-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Hsbc Republic Bank (UK) Limited
  20. 1995-10-31
    ➕
    NESBITT, Stephen James appointed
    secretary
  21. 1995-10-31
    ➕
    NESBITT, Aileen Elizabeth appointed
    director
  22. 1995-10-31
    ➖
    DUNCUMB, Martyn Raymond resigned
    secretary
  23. 1995-10-31
    ➖
    DUNCUMB, Martyn Raymond resigned
    director
  24. 1995-10-31
    ➖
    HARNEY, Colleen Ann resigned
    director
  25. 1995-10-11
    ➕
    DUNCUMB, Martyn Raymond appointed
    secretary
  26. 1995-10-11
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 1995-10-11
    ➕
    DUNCUMB, Martyn Raymond appointed
    director
  28. 1995-10-11
    ➕
    HARNEY, Colleen Ann appointed
    director
  29. 1995-10-11
    ➖
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 1995-10-05
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A E NESBITT FARMS LIMITED
  31. 1995-10-05
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 1995-10-05
    ➕
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "NESBITT" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 31 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Stephen James Nesbitt
Individual · British · DOB 04/1949 · age 77
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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

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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
Incorporated1995-10-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

5th Floor, R+ Building, 2
Blagrave Street
Reading
RG1 1AZ
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-19
Last: 2025-10-05

Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)

NESBITT, Stephen James→
secretary · appointed 1995-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
NESBITT, Aileen Elizabeth→
director · ~82y · appointed 1995-10-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DUNCUMB, Martyn Raymond→
secretary · appointed 1995-10-11 · resigned 1995-10-31
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1995-10-05 · resigned 1995-10-11
Resigned
DUNCUMB, Martyn Raymond→
director · ~87y · appointed 1995-10-11 · resigned 1995-10-31
Resigned
HARNEY, Colleen Ann→
director · ~76y · appointed 1995-10-11 · resigned 1995-10-31
Resigned
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1995-10-05 · resigned 1995-10-11
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Republic Bank (UK) Limited
Legal mortgage1 property15/04/200214/03/2006
satisfied
HSBC
Hsbc Republic Bank (UK) Limited
Legal mortgage1 property17/07/200114/03/2006

Recent filings (96 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-09
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-06-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-02-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-17