ALCHEMY FARMS LTD.
💤Zombieactive
04466718 · ltd · incorporated 2002-06-21
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 Jun 2024
Net worth
£4.22M
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 68209Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). 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
8 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 21.6y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (72/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
81 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £4,221,276
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£168k
Net Worth
£4.2m
Current Assets
£1.9m
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £6.36M |
| Current assets | £1.94M |
| Cash | £167.8k |
| Debtors | £1.78M |
| Net assets | £4.22M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (36 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-12📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-08-12🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2023-07-28📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-07-28📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-07-28🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2023-07-28🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2023-02-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-13📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-08-13🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2021-04-09📄mortgage-charge-part-release-with-charge-numbermortgage · MR05
- 2021-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-01📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-06-26🔒Charge registered #8Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2020-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-08📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-03-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-12📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-10-05🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2018-09-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-09-20🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2017-08-09🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2017-07-05🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2009-03-10🔒Charge registered #3Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2005-01-04🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2004-12-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2002-06-21🏢Company incorporatedAs ALCHEMY FARMS LTD.
- 2002-06-21➕THOMPSON, Mary appointedsecretary
- 2002-06-21➕THOMPSON, Alan John appointeddirector
- 2002-06-21➕TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-06-21➖TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-06-21➕COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-06-21➖COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
100/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
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 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alan John Thompson Individual · British · DOB 01/1960 · age 66 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/05/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · PE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.R. CRAVEN FARMS LIMITED→ 03115021 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| A.W. PHOENIX & SONS LIMITED→ 05089828 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ALPHA PLANTS LTD→ 13099554 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ALWAYS WAGGY TAILS LTD→ 15433239 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AMBROSE LIGHTON,LIMITED→ 00204860 · est 1925 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 101y | — | — |
| ANGLIA GROWERS FARMING LIMITED→ 08580903 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| ANGLIA GROWERS LIMITED→ 10451540 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ANGLIA SALADS LIMITED→ 04333110 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| ANGLIA TREES LTD→ 13890418 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ANGLOFLORA FARMS LIMITED→ 01425669 · est 1979 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 46y | — | — |
| AQUADAL LTD→ 16553921 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AQUAHOLICS AQUATICS LTD→ 16198026 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
9 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
Incorporated2002-06-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Registered office
Willows Holt Willows Lane
Sibsey
Boston
Lincolnshire
PE22 0TG
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-13
Last: 2025-06-29
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Active
THOMPSON, Alan John→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2002-06-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-06-21 · resigned 2002-06-21
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-06-21 · resigned 2002-06-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
8
Total charges
4
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:8 of 8 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 26/06/2020 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 05/10/2018 | 13/08/2021 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 20/09/2018 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 09/08/2017 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 05/07/2017 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 10/03/2009 | 28/07/2023 | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 04/01/2005 | 28/07/2023 | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 13/12/2004 | 12/08/2023 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (81 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-03-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-03-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-03-19
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-08-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-02
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-07-28
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2023-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-02-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-03-30
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-08-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-02
mortgage-charge-part-release-with-charge-number
mortgage · MR05
2021-04-09