C F MIDDLETON LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
06477690 · ltd · incorporated 2008-01-18
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
£439.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01500
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 9.8y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · 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.
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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
44 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £439,604
Cash YoY
+35%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£192k
↑ 35% YoY
Net Worth
£440k
↑ 44% YoY
Current Assets
£688k
↑ 23% YoY
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 | £1.01M | £984.4k |
| Current assets | £687.8k | £558.9k |
| Cash | £191.6k | £141.9k |
| Debtors | £257.1k | £219.9k |
| Net assets | £439.6k | £306.3k |
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 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (21 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-10📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-09-09🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Lloyds Bank PLC
- 2019-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-05📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2017-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-20📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-09-20📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2016-09-08🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
- 2016-09-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC
- 2016-02-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2008-01-18🏢Company incorporatedAs C F MIDDLETON LIMITED
- 2008-01-18➕MIDDLETON, Emma appointedsecretary
- 2008-01-18➕MIDDLETON, Andrew Charles appointeddirector
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 "MIDDLETON" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +No director turnover: Company is 18 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 18 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 Andrew Charles Middleton Individual · British · DOB 03/1970 · age 56 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · LN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALFORD FARMING LIMITED→ 15591621 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ARDEN FARMS OWMBY LTD→ 00435439 · est 1947 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 78y | — | — |
| BROOK HOUSE FORGE LIMITED→ 12782497 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BUBBLES DAYCARE (LINCOLN) LIMITED→ 08430466 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| C T ALLIS LIMITED→ 15717217 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| C. L. BEMBRIDGE LIMITED→ 00493190 · est 1951 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 75y | — | — |
| C.A.R. & J.M. STUBBS LTD→ 10301112 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| C.H. CRUST (FARMS) LIMITED→ 01362727 · est 1978 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| C.N. OVERTON LIMITED→ 01161458 · est 1974 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| C.TOMLINSON LIMITED→ 00618413 · est 1959 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 67y | — | — |
| C.W. ANYAN (FARMS) LIMITED→ 01190969 · est 1974 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 51y | — | — |
| CANINE COUNTRY RETREAT AND SPA LTD→ 16425034 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2008-01-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500
Registered office
Dalby Grange, Dalby
Alford
Lincolnshire
LN13 0HQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-01
Last: 2026-01-18
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
MIDDLETON, Andrew Charles→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2008-01-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 09/09/2020 | — | |
| outstanding | The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 08/09/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 08/09/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (44 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-11-19
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2020-09-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-31