A R LANCASTER LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04272364 · ltd · incorporated 2001-08-17
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 Aug 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01500
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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, 1 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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
73 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.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Aug 2024Aug 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · IFRS
Metric2025-08-312024-08-31
Average employees300300

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
4
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Last 90 days
5
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Last 180 days
5
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-05-27
    ➖
    LANCASTER, Allan Raymond resigned
    director
  2. 2026-05-27
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2026-05-27
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  4. 2026-05-27
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  5. 2026-05-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2025-05-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-06-09
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2023-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-06-09
    ➕
    LANCASTER, Diane Jane appointed
    director
  13. 2020-06-09
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  14. 2020-06-09
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  15. 2020-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2019-05-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-05-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  18. 2001-08-17
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As A R LANCASTER LIMITED
  19. 2001-08-17
    ➕
    LANCASTER, Diane Jane appointed
    secretary
  20. 2001-08-17
    ➕
    BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  21. 2001-08-17
    ➖
    BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  22. 2001-08-17
    ➕
    LANCASTER, Allan Raymond appointed
    director
  23. 2001-08-17
    ➕
    DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  24. 2001-08-17
    ➖
    DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

98/100
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 "LANCASTER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Diane Jane Lancaster
Individual · British · DOB 09/1964 · age 62
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting27/05/2026
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Alan Lancasterceased 27/05/2026· 25-50% shares

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

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————17y——
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————15y——
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————1y——
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11082603 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
————8y——
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15517100 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————2y——
B & C DODD FARM LTD→
10342922 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
————9y——
BAGMERE FARM LIMITED→
16431838 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
BATHFARM LIMITED→
16711786 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
BCROFT FARMS LIMITED→
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BEECHWOOD PARTNERS LIMITED→
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————5y——
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
Incorporated2001-08-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500

Registered office

Hoofridge Farm House
Brookhouse Lane
Congleton
Cheshire
CW12 3QP
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-05-31
Last made up to: 2025-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-16
Last: 2026-06-02

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

LANCASTER, Diane Jane→
secretary · appointed 2001-08-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LANCASTER, Diane Jane→
director · ~62y · appointed 2020-06-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-08-17 · resigned 2001-08-17
Resigned
LANCASTER, Allan Raymond→
director · ~64y · appointed 2001-08-17 · resigned 2026-05-27
Resigned
DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-08-17 · resigned 2001-08-17
Resigned

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

Recent filings (73 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-02
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-05-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-05-27
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-05-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-03