ROSS FARMS AND COMPANY LIMITED
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
5 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 36.4y
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 36.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 400 | 400 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-23📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-06-23➖ROSS, Douglas Fraser resigneddirector
- 2025-02-12📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-02-10🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Renewable Energy Systems Limited
- 2024-08-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-29📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-08-26🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Energiekontor UK LTD
- 2024-05-18📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2024-05-18📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-02-28➕ROSS, Fiona Barbara appointedsecretary
- 2024-02-28➖ROSS, Shona resignedsecretary
- 2023-12-15📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-12-15🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2023-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-29📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2017-12-29📄withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statementpersons-with-significant-control · PSC09
- 2016-07-11➕ROSS, Mark Robert appointeddirector
- 2015-03-18🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Banks Renewables (Hunt Law Wind Farm) Limited
- 2014-06-17🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2000-08-25➖NAIRN, Aitken resignedsecretary
- 2000-08-25➕ROSS, Shona appointedsecretary
- 1997-12-16➖MARSHALL, Stewart Young resignedsecretary
- 1997-12-16➕NAIRN, Aitken appointedsecretary
- 1990-12-04➖ROSS, Russell resigneddirector
- 1989-11-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1942-09-09🏢Company incorporatedAs ROSS FARMS AND COMPANY LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +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 "ROSS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
Douglas Fraser Ross & Mrs Shona Ross As Trustees Of Douglas Fraser Ross Trust holds 25-50% — a significant corporate investor but not a controlling parent.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Douglas Fraser Ross & Mrs Shona Ross As Trustees Of Douglas Fraser Ross Trust Corporate entity | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · trust interest | 29/12/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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9 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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Renewable Energy Systems Renewable Energy Systems Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 10/02/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Energiekontor UK Energiekontor UK LTD | A registered charge | 1 property | 26/08/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Banks Renewables (Hunt Law Wind Farm) Banks Renewables (Hunt Law Wind Farm) Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/03/2015 | 15/12/2023 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 17/06/2014 | — | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 20/11/1989 | — |