THOMAS A. SANDS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC241624 · ltd · incorporated 2002-12-24
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£183.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01420SIC 01420
  • 01450SIC 01450
  • 01500SIC 01500
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -62% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

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, 4 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
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
69 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £183,262
Cash draining
Cash down 62% YoY
Cash YoY
-62%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£10k
↓ 62% YoY
Net Worth
£183k
↑ 13% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£37k£73k£110k£147k£183kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Cash£9.9k£25.9k
Net assets£183.3k£162.6k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-04-16
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  3. 2025-04-14
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  4. 2025-04-14
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  5. 2025-04-01
    ➕
    SANDS, Alan Thomas appointed
    director
  6. 2024-12-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2024-12-04
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  8. 2024-12-03
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  9. 2024-12-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2024-12-03
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  11. 2024-12-03
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  12. 2024-12-03
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  13. 2024-03-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2022-12-20
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  15. 2022-12-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2021-11-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2021-10-25
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  18. 2021-08-08
    ➖
    SANDS, Thomas resigned
    director
  19. 2021-01-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  20. 2020-12-29
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  21. 2002-12-24
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THOMAS A. SANDS LIMITED
  22. 2002-12-24
    ➕
    SANDS, Jacqueline appointed
    secretary
  23. 2002-12-24
    ➕
    SANDS, Thomas Alan appointed
    director
  24. 2002-12-24
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2002-12-24
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 2002-12-24
    ➕
    SANDS, Thomas appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 "SANDS" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +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

36/100
Weak signal

Limited succession signal. Not a near-term off-market candidate.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — SANDS, Alan Thomas (same surname) appointed 2025-04-01. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • 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.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No 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
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Thomas Alan Sands
Individual · British · DOB 09/1959 · age 67
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016
Mr Alan Thomas Sands
Individual · Scottish · DOB 01/1985 · age 41
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting01/04/2025

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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RTS LIMITED→
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——510042y8566y
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———15102y9572y
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————25y8358y
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———1020031y8375y
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————54y8369y
COLBEGGIE FRUITS LIMITED→
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————22y8361y
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——£125.6k—44y8380y
JSR SERVICES (BLAIRGOWRIE) LIMITED→
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——£80.5k—23y8364y
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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
Incorporated2002-12-24
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

Southfield Farm
Abernyte
Perth
PH14 9RB
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last: 2026-04-16

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

SANDS, Jacqueline→
secretary · appointed 2002-12-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SANDS, Alan Thomas→
director · ~41y · appointed 2025-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SANDS, Thomas Alan→
director · ~67y · appointed 2002-12-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-12-24 · resigned 2002-12-24
Resigned
SANDS, Thomas→
director · ~97y · appointed 2002-12-24 · resigned 2021-08-08
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (69 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-16
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-04-16
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-04-14
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-05
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-12-04
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-12-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-12-03
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-12-03
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-12-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-12-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-20