A & M SMITH LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05263756 · ltd · incorporated 2004-10-19
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 21.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
What changed my view
Last 30 days
No material changes in the last 30 days.
Last 90 days
No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.
Last 180 days
No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01410
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). 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 (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 21.4y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: low (54/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
57 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.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-11-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2012-03-13🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2011-09-12🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2007-01-31🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2005-02-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2004-10-19🏢Company incorporatedAs A & M SMITH LIMITED
- 2004-10-19➕SMITH, Margaret Alice appointedsecretary
- 2004-10-19➕SMITH, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2004-10-19➕SMITH, Margaret Alice appointeddirector
- 2004-10-19➕TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-10-19➖TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-10-19➕COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-10-19➖COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
99/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SMITH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Margaret Alice Smith Individual · British · DOB 10/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mr Andrew Smith Individual · British · DOB 02/1964 · age 62 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · CA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLIN SMITH AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTING LTD→ 08159804 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| COMPTON INDUSTRIES LTD→ 07647250 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| CROSS LIMITED→ 16167884 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CROSSHILL FARM LTD→ 00433491 · est 1947 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 78y | — | — |
| CT&JL SERVICES LIMITED→ 08498991 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| CUMBERLAND FLOWER FARM LTD→ 15711662 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CUMBRIA LIVESTOCK LIMITED→ 08718072 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| CUMBRIA MINIATURE DACHSHUNDS LIMITED→ 15230830 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| CUMBRIA TREE GROWERS LTD→ 11523652 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| CUMBRIA WOODLANDS CIC→ 16812040 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CUMBRIACONSTRUCTION LIMITED→ 16601285 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CUMBRIAN LIVESTOCK LIMITED→ 08713960 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2004-10-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01410 — SIC 01410
Registered office
Arkle House, Lonsdale Street
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA1 1BJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-02
Last: 2025-12-19
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
SMITH, Margaret Alice→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-10-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~62y · appointed 2004-10-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, Margaret Alice→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2004-10-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-10-19 · resigned 2004-10-19
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-10-19 · resigned 2004-10-19
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 12/09/2011 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 31/01/2007 | — | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 09/02/2005 | 13/03/2012 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (57 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-07-17