J.T. FEW PLANT HIRE LTD
💤Zombieactive
04519066 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-27
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 38320
Sector: Water supply & waste
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 15.2y
15/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · 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.
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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
61 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.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 35 | 3100 |
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
2
filings
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-07-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-06-30📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-07-21🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2021-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-29📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2021-09-29🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2021-04-30📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-04-27🔒Charge registered #3Lender: 4SYTE Limited
- 2020-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-15➖FEW, Susan Grace resignedsecretary
- 2019-11-15📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2012-07-31🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
- 2011-06-06🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC
- 2002-08-30➕FEW, Jonathan Timothy appointeddirector
- 2002-08-30➕FEW, Susan Grace appointedsecretary
- 2002-08-30➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-30➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-08-27🏢Company incorporatedAs J.T. FEW PLANT HIRE LTD
- 2002-08-27➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-27➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-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 Johnathan Few Individual · British · DOB 01/1960 · age 66 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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| J D DRAINAGE LTD→ 15389427 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| J S GLOBAL CARGO & FREIGHT DISPOSAL LIMITED→ 11674148 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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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
Incorporated2002-08-27
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC38320 — SIC 38320
Registered office
Malting Farm Stowmarket Road
Gt Blakenham
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP6 0LX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-02
Last: 2025-07-19
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
FEW, Jonathan Timothy→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2002-08-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FEW, Susan Grace→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-08-30 · resigned 2019-11-15
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2002-08-30
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-08-27 · resigned 2002-08-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | 4SYTE 4SYTE Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 27/04/2021 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited | All assets debenture | 1 property | 31/07/2012 | 21/07/2022 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 06/06/2011 | 29/09/2021 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (61 total)
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-07-01
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-06-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-09
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-07-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-29
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-23
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2021-04-30