FREEMAN BROS LTD
🌳Matureactive
08239154 · ltd · incorporated 2012-10-03
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.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 6.6y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Nov 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01500
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 77-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 77). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 6.6y
70/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 6.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
38 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
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 | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|
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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-13📄replacement-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP01CS01
- 2025-08-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-25📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-02-12📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-02-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Aldermore Bank PLC
- 2025-02-12🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2025-01-06📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2024-11-13📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2024-11-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-05📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-11-05📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-11-05📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-10-29➖FREEMAN, Clive Victor resigneddirector
- 2024-10-28➕FREEMAN JONES, Francesca appointeddirector
- 2024-08-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-11-29📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-11-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2019-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2012-10-03🏢Company incorporatedAs FREEMAN BROS LTD
- 2012-10-03➕FREEMAN, Frank appointeddirector
- 2012-10-03➕FREEMAN, Clive Victor appointeddirector
Owner dependency
88/100
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 "FREEMAN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
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 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- 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 Frank Freeman Individual · British · DOB 12/1949 · age 77 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 28/09/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Clive Victor Freemanceased 28/10/2024· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · SN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOOD CONVERTORS LIMITED→ 03714220 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| FOREST FARM COUNTRYSIDE MANAGEMENT LTD→ 11791639 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| FOREST HILL FARMS LIMITED→ 07979329 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| FOREST WILD TREES LTD→ 15018993 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FROM SPRING HILL C.I.C.→ 08871353 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| G WARREN & SONS LTD→ 12334240 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| GANDALF GRAIN DRIERS LIMITED→ 02991106 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| GARRETT FARRIERY SERVICES LIMITED→ 09592048 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| GASTARDCOURT LIMITED→ 16499124 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GATCOMBE FARM LIMITED→ 15712665 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GENESIS HORSES LTD→ 16392729 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GF & RG HODDINOTT LIMITED→ 03732623 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
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 →🔒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
Incorporated2012-10-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500
Registered office
The Clouds
Hawthorns
Corsham
Wilts
SN13 0NT
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-09
Last: 2025-09-25
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
FREEMAN, Frank→
Activedirector · ~77y · appointed 2012-10-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FREEMAN JONES, Francesca→
Activedirector · ~26y · appointed 2024-10-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FREEMAN, Clive Victor→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 2012-10-03 · resigned 2024-10-29
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Aldermore Aldermore Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 12/02/2025 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 28/11/2019 | 12/02/2025 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (38 total)
replacement-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP01CS01
2026-04-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-08-27
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-02-25
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-02-12
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2025-01-06
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2024-11-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-11-05
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-11-05
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-11-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-07-20