EARL SOHAM BREWERY LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04716137 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-28
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of beer
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 73-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 18.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
66 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.
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 | 2025-10-31 | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 800 | 800 |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-04📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-04-08📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-04-08📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-09-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-09-04➖MOSS, Jeremy resigneddirector
- 2020-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2008-11-29➕MOSS, Jeremy appointeddirector
- 2008-06-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2003-03-28🏢Company incorporatedAs EARL SOHAM BREWERY LIMITED
- 2003-03-28➕BAGNALL, Charles Andrew St. John appointedsecretary
- 2003-03-28➕BJORNSON, John Stephen appointeddirector
- 2003-03-28➕WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-28➖WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-28➕WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-03-28➖WATERLOW NOMINEES 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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 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 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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
cleanNo 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr John Stephen Bjornson Individual · English · DOB 12/1953 · age 73 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Helen Mossceased 27/02/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Jeremy Mossceased 04/09/2020· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Food & drink · IP postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIOSYNC LIMITED→ 15956211 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CHEEKY CHARLIE PROMOTIONS LIMITED→ 12377427 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| DUST BROS LTD→ 15584907 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| E17CRAFTWORKS LIMITED→ 11383666 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ELEVATE YOU LTD→ 15810236 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ELIXIR FUEL LTD→ 16481309 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ELM OCCASIONS LTD→ 07754615 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ENONIS CUISINE LTD→ 16816830 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ENTIRELY BRITISH LTD→ 08638452 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| EPIGS LIMITED→ 10828364 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| EUFLORIA LIMITED→ 16564397 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| EXOTIC FOODS PROCESSING LIMITED→ 15586977 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-03-28
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC11050 — Manufacture of beer
Registered office
Wyndham House, The Street
Market Weston
Diss
Norfolk
IP22 2NZ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-07-31
Last made up to: 2025-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-11
Last: 2026-03-28
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
BAGNALL, Charles Andrew St. John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2003-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BJORNSON, John Stephen→
Activedirector · ~73y · appointed 2003-03-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-28 · resigned 2003-03-28
MOSS, Jeremy→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 2008-11-29 · resigned 2020-09-04
WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-03-28 · resigned 2003-03-28
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 13/06/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (66 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-28
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-26
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2021-04-20
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-04-08