APPLECROSS EQUESTRIAN LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
09804520 · ltd · incorporated 2015-10-01
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Oct 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01490
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 67). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
41 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
90
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 | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-09-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-09-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-09-02📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-07-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-07-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-05-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-01-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-01-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-01-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-25📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2015-10-01🏢Company incorporatedAs APPLECROSS EQUESTRIAN LIMITED
- 2015-10-01➕MATTHEWS, Jane appointeddirector
- 2015-10-01➕MATTHEWS, Nigel appointeddirector
- 2015-10-01➕OAKLEY SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2015-10-01➖OAKLEY SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
Owner dependency
81/100
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 age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
61/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Nigel Matthews Individual · British · DOB 10/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2016 |
Mrs Jane Matthews Individual · British · DOB 08/1959 · age 67 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/10/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Jane Matthewsceased 26/09/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Nigel Matthewsceased 26/09/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · WR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A J MUTCH & SON LTD→ 09227600 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| A R LEWIS TREECARE LTD→ 15695540 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABBEY FARMERS LIMITED→ 01561299 · est 1981 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 44y | — | — |
| ABS FORESTRY LTD→ 17056071 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTON MILL CARE FARM LIMITED→ 06960349 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AGRI MUSH LIMITED→ 14128985 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALLENS HILL LIMITED→ 05228311 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AMIBARA LIMITED→ 07172319 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ANDREW GRANT SERVICES LIMITED→ 01319902 · est 1977 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| ANSTEYS OF WORCESTER LIMITED→ 08905008 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| AQUAHELIOS LIMITED→ 10618160 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ARNOLD FARMS LIMITED→ 00623954 · est 1959 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 67y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-10-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01490 — SIC 01490
Registered office
The Oakley
Kidderminster Road
Droitwich
Worcestershire
WR9 9AY
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-07
Last: 2025-09-23
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
MATTHEWS, Jane→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2015-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MATTHEWS, Nigel→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2015-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
OAKLEY SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2015-10-01 · resigned 2015-10-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (41 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-09-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-09-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-09-02
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-09-02
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-07-26
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-07-26