ANTHONY HARTLEY LTD
💤Zombieactive
06208581 · ltd · incorporated 2007-04-11
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£461.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01420
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 01450SIC 01450
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 64-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 64). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Deleverage or restructure. Leverage at 100% of assets — consider sale of non-core assets or equity injection. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 8.1y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 8.1 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, 2 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
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
50 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £461,570
High leverage
Liabilities are 100% of total assets
Leverage
100%
Liabilities / Total assets
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£462k
Current Assets
£345k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £551.2k | — |
| Current assets | £345.1k | — |
| Net assets | £461.6k | — |
| Average employees | — | 300 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-06📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-04-30➖HARTLEY, Hilary Jane resignedsecretary
- 2024-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-09📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2018-05-02🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2017-06-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-06-30📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2015-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2007-04-13➕HARTLEY, Anthony James appointeddirector
- 2007-04-13➕HARTLEY, Hilary Jane appointedsecretary
- 2007-04-12➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-04-12➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-04-11🏢Company incorporatedAs ANTHONY HARTLEY LTD
- 2007-04-11➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-04-11➕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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HARTLEY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 64 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
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 64. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Anthony James Hartley Individual · British · DOB 07/1962 · age 64 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 11/04/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · LA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & E CLARKSON LIMITED→ 04075339 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| A & J FRESH FISH LTD→ 13780858 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A & R CRAYSTON LTD→ 13152367 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A D CHIPMUNKS LIMITED→ 04963706 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A J BOLSOVER & SON LTD→ 11462251 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| A J WILSON FARMING LTD→ 13562628 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A.T. LIVESTOCK LTD→ 15660405 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AG KIRKLAND DEVELOPMENTS LTD→ 12037305 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AJR NORTHWEST LIMITED→ 06322517 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ALS EQUINE LTD→ 17069141 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ANTONY PRICE LIMITED→ 04966798 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ARCHERS @ RED BANK FARM LIMITED→ 10944192 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2007-04-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01420 — SIC 01420
Registered office
Turner Hall Farm
Seathwaite
Broughton In Furness
Cumbria
LA20 6EE
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-01
Last: 2025-07-18
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
HARTLEY, Anthony James→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2007-04-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HARTLEY, Hilary Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-04-13 · resigned 2025-04-30
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2007-04-11 · resigned 2007-04-12
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-04-11 · resigned 2007-04-12
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 | A registered charge | 1 property | 02/05/2018 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (50 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-03-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-18
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-05-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-08-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-06-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-07-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-09-13