R J LEA LTD
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 61). 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
1 live charge · oldest 5.4y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 5.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover 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 | 4 | 400 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-02📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-08-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-15📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-03-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2020-12-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-11📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-05-16📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-08-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2003-08-21🏢Company incorporatedAs R J LEA LTD
- 2003-08-21➕LEA, Sandra Margaret appointedsecretary
- 2003-08-21➕LEA, Robert James appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
- +No director turnover: Company is 23 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
- 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
cleanShareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Robert James Lea Individual · British · DOB 10/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 30/06/2016 |
Mrs Sandra Margaret Lea Individual · British · DOB 06/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 30/06/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 09/03/2021 | — |