RIVERFORD FARM DAIRIES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03837876 · ltd · incorporated 1999-09-08
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 Oct 2025
Net worth
£584.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 10511
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 10512SIC 10512
- 10519SIC 10519
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 68). 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
85 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
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £584,692
Cash YoY
+32%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£496k
↑ 32% YoY
Net Worth
£585k
↑ 25% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | £496.5k | £377.0k |
| Net assets | £584.7k | £466.9k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-14📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2023-04-13📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-03-31➕WATSON, Robert Oliver appointedsecretary
- 2023-03-31➖GIBSON, Fiona Kathryn resignedsecretary
- 2023-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-23📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-03-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-07-22📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2021-05-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-23📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2021-04-22➕GIBSON, Fiona Kathryn appointedsecretary
- 2021-04-22➖MEADOWS, Brian Robert resignedsecretary
- 2021-04-22➖GIBSON, Anthony James resigneddirector
- 2021-04-22➖MEADOWS, Brian Robert resigneddirector
- 2021-04-22📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-04-22📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-04-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-04-22📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-04-22📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2020-09-23📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-09-23📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-09-09➕WATSON, Robert Oliver appointeddirector
- 2019-09-09➖WATSON, Robert Oliver resigneddirector
- 2004-08-05➖HIGHNAM, James William resigneddirector
- 2002-08-28➖GIBSON, Anthony James resignedsecretary
- 2002-08-28➕MEADOWS, Brian Robert appointedsecretary
- 2000-04-01➕HIGHNAM, James William appointeddirector
- 2000-04-01➕MEADOWS, Brian Robert appointeddirector
- 1999-09-08🏢Company incorporatedAs RIVERFORD FARM DAIRIES LIMITED
- 1999-09-08➕GIBSON, Anthony James appointedsecretary
- 1999-09-08➕GIBSON, Anthony James appointeddirector
- 1999-09-08➕WATSON, Robert Oliver appointeddirector
Owner dependency
90/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rachel Cressida Watson Individual · British · DOB 01/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/03/2022 |
Robert Oliver Watson Individual · British · DOB 12/1958 · age 68 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Brian Robert Meadowsceased 22/04/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Anthony James Gibsonceased 22/04/2021· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Robert Oliver Watsonceased 06/04/2016· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Food & drink · TQ postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMPLETELY CURED LTD→ 12140256 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| PROSAUCEUK LIMITED→ 14761211 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ROTINI GROUP LIMITED→ 12029420 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| RUBY'S ICE CREAM PRODUCTION LTD→ 16737365 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SALCOMBE SUPPERS LTD→ 14492960 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| SAMPHIRE FOODS LTD.→ 06004521 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| SCOOPS KINGSBRIDGE LIMITED→ 09051048 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| SEAWAY ROYALE LIMITED→ 11374504 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| SHARPHAM PARTNERSHIP LIMITED→ 02702613 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
| SOUTH BRENT COFFEE ROASTERS LTD→ 16047496 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| SOUTH HAMS BREWERY LTD→ 10741654 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| SPROUTED LTD→ 16672007 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1999-09-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC10511 — SIC 10511
Registered office
Riverford
Staverton
Totnes
Devon
TQ9 6AF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-22
Last: 2025-09-08
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
WATSON, Robert Oliver→
Activesecretary · appointed 2023-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATSON, Robert Oliver→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2019-09-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GIBSON, Anthony James→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-09-08 · resigned 2002-08-28
GIBSON, Fiona Kathryn→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2021-04-22 · resigned 2023-03-31
MEADOWS, Brian Robert→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-08-28 · resigned 2021-04-22
GIBSON, Anthony James→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · appointed 1999-09-08 · resigned 2021-04-22
HIGHNAM, James William→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2000-04-01 · resigned 2004-08-05
MEADOWS, Brian Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2000-04-01 · resigned 2021-04-22
WATSON, Robert Oliver→
Resigneddirector · ~71y · appointed 1999-09-08 · resigned 2019-09-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (85 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-15
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2023-04-14
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-03-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-17
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-03-23
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-03-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-17
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2021-07-22