The director presents the strategic report for the year ended 30 September 2025.
Recent rapid inflation has presented an unexpected and unparalleled risk to all businesses in the UK. Global events have caused increased costs of certain inputs such as animal feed and electricity costs. The company operates in an industry that has seen these costs increase quickly and at a significant rate. The company has implemented a variety of measures to reduce exposure to these risks to its supply chain and customers in order to mitigate impact to the business. These have been successful in allowing the business to navigate these challenging times and work with customers to strengthen its supply chain.
The relationship with our customers is continually monitored and the directors are confident in the relationships that they have throughout the supply chain. A further challenge to the business is the ability to meet the demands of customers by having the correct supply to meet their demands.
The volatility of commodity prices, particularly wheat, is a constant challenge for the company, mitigated by strong relationships with the customers and suppliers.
The company ensures that a thorough review of the workplace is carried out with any relevant actions taken so as to provide a safe working environment for all our employees.
Cash flow risk
The company’s activities expose it primarily to the financial risks of changes in interest rates. The company does not use any derivative financial instruments.
Credit risk
The company’s principal financial assets are trade and other receivables and investments.
The company’s credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade receivables. The amounts presented in the balance sheet are net of allowances for doubtful receivables. An allowance for impairment is made where there is an identified loss event which, based on previous experience, is evidence of a reduction in the recoverability of the cash flows. Trade debtors are managed in respect of credit and cash flow by policies concerning the credit offered to customers and the regular monitoring of amounts outstanding for both time and credit limits. The credit risk on liquid funds is limited because the counterparties are banks with high credit ratings assigned by international credit rating agencies.
Liquidity risk
In order to maintain liquidity to ensure that sufficient funds are available for ongoing operations and future developments, the company uses a mixture of long term and short term debt finance. The company meets its day-to-day working capital requirements through a bank loan which is secured over the fixed assets of the group. The current economic conditions create uncertainty particularly over the level of demand for the company’s products and the availability of bank finance in the foreseeable future.
Given the straightforward nature of the group's operations, the directors are of the opinion that analysis using KPIs, other than the financial results set out on pages 9 to 14 and discussed above, is not necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of the business.
The group has net assets of £8.2m and net current assets of £2.7m. The group's forecasts and projections, taking account of reasonably possible changes in trading performance, show that the group should be able to operate within the level of its current facilities. The group has a strong balance sheet and has reviewed its future borrowing needs, and no matters have been drawn to its attention to suggest that adequate finance will not be available on an ongoing basis on acceptable terms.
After making enquiries, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and financial statements.
On behalf of the board
The director presents his annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2025.
The results for the year are set out on page 9.
During the year, the company was part of a wider structural reorganisation. As a result of this reorganisation, non-cash assets of £5,314,572 were paid via a dividend. The director does not recommend payment of a further dividend.
The director who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements was as follows:
The company recognises it operates in a dynamic and changing industry and believes it is well equipped going forward.
The auditor, Saffery LLP, is deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.
We have audited the financial statements of Ridgeway Group Limited (the 'parent company') and its subsidiaries (the 'group') for the year ended 30 September 2025 which comprise the group statement of comprehensive income, the group statement of financial position, the company statement of financial position, the group statement of changes in equity, the company statement of changes in equity, the group statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Basis for opinion
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the director's use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group's and parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the director with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
the information given in the strategic report and the director's report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the strategic report and the director's report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below.
Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:
We assessed the susceptibility of the group and parent company’s financial statements to material misstatement and how fraud might occur, including through discussions with the director, discussions within our audit team planning meeting, updating our record of internal controls and ensuring these controls operated as intended. We evaluated possible incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements. We identified laws and regulations that are of significance in the context of the group and parent company by discussions with director and by updating our understanding of the sector in which the group and parent company operates.
Laws and regulations of direct significance in the context of the group and parent company include The Companies Act 2006 and UK Tax legislation.
Audit response to risks identified
We considered the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items including a review of group and parent company financial statement disclosures. We reviewed the parent company's records of breaches of laws and regulations, minutes of meetings and correspondence with relevant authorities to identify potential material misstatements arising. We discussed the parent company's policies and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations with members of management responsible for compliance.
During the planning meeting with the audit team, the engagement partner drew attention to the key areas which might involve non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud. We enquired of management whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud. We addressed the risk of fraud through management override of controls by testing the appropriateness of journal entries and identifying any significant transactions that were unusual or outside the normal course of business. We assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates gave rise to a possible indication of management bias. At the completion stage of the audit, the engagement partner’s review included ensuring that the team had approached their work with appropriate professional scepticism and thus the capacity to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud.
As group auditors, our assessment of matters relating to non-compliance with laws or regulations and fraud differed at group and component level according to their particular circumstances. Our communications included a request to identify instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud that could give rise to a material misstatement of the group financial statements in addition to our risk assessment.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the parent company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the parent company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the parent company and the parent company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The income statement has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
As permitted by s408 Companies Act 2006, the company has not presented its own profit and loss account and related notes. The company’s profit for the year was £5,314,572 (2024 - £nil)
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions relating to medium-sized companies.
Ridgeway Group Limited (“the company”) is a limited company incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Church Farm, Church Lane, Hatherton, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS11 1RR.
The group consists of Ridgeway Group Limited and its subsidiary Ridgeway Foods Limited.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £1.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
The company is a qualifying entity for the purposes of FRS 102, being a member of a group where the parent of that group prepares publicly available consolidated financial statements, including this company, which are intended to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the group. The company has therefore taken advantage of exemptions from the following disclosure requirements for parent company information presented within the consolidated financial statements:
Section 4 ‘Statement of Financial Position’: Reconciliation of the opening and closing number of shares;
Section 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’: Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;
Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instrument Issues’: Carrying amounts, interest income/expense and net gains/losses for each category of financial instrument; basis of determining fair values; details of collateral, loan defaults or breaches, details of hedges, hedging fair value changes recognised in profit or loss and in other comprehensive income;
Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.
The consolidated financial statements incorporate those of Ridgeway Group Limited and all of its subsidiaries (ie entities that the group controls through its power to govern the financial and operating policies so as to obtain economic benefits).
All financial statements are made up to 30 September 2025. Where necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring the accounting policies used into line with those used by other members of the group.
All intra-group transactions, balances and unrealised gains on transactions between group companies are eliminated on consolidation. Unrealised losses are also eliminated unless the transaction provides evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the director has a reasonable expectation that the group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the director continues to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Turnover is recognised at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business, and is shown net of VAT and other sales related taxes. The fair value of consideration takes into account trade discounts, settlement discounts and volume rebates.
Revenue from the sale of eggs is recognised when the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods have passed to the buyer (usually on dispatch of the goods), the amount of revenue can be measured reliably, it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the entity and the costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably.
Other income consists of rental income received and receivable.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and credited or charged to the profit or loss.
In the parent company financial statements, investments in subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entities are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.
A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the group. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.
At each reporting period end date, the group reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.
Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.
If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.
The group has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the group's statement of financial position when the group becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amounts presented in the financial statements when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.
Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.
Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the group transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the group after deducting all of its liabilities.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the group's contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Equity instruments issued by the group are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the group.
The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessees. All other leases are classified as operating leases.
Assets held under finance leases are recognised as assets at the lower of the assets fair value at the date of inception and the present value of the minimum lease payments. The related liability is included in the statement of financial position as a finance lease obligation. Lease payments are treated as consisting of capital and interest elements. The interest is charged to profit or loss so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leased asset are consumed.
Transactions in currencies other than pounds sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates of the transactions. At each reporting end date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the reporting end date. Gains and losses arising on translation in the period are included in profit or loss.
In the application of the group’s accounting policies, the director is required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods. Key judgements in the year related to the useful economic life of tangible fixed assets.
The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.
Where there are indicators of impairment of property, plant and equipment, the directors carry out an internal assessment of the fair value of the property at the year end date and determine whether an impairment is required.
All of the group's turnover was earned from UK customers.
The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the group and company during the year was:
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:
The remuneration of key management personnel totalled £37,966 (2024: £249,105).
The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge/(credit) for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:
During the year, the company was part of a wider structural reorganisation. As a result of this reorganisation, non-cash assets of £5,314,572 were paid via a dividend.
In the year ended 30 September 2024 the Directors carried out an impairment review. An impairment was subsequently recognised on a site held by the group. The impairment was recognised within administrative expenses. No further impairments were required in the current year.
Details of the company's subsidiaries at 30 September 2025 are as follows:
The bank loans are repayable in quarterly instalments, incurring interest rates of 2.25% above LIBOR. They are secured by fixed charges over the land and buildings of the group through an omnibus guarantee.
Finance lease payments represent rentals payable by the company for certain items of plant and machinery. Leases include purchase options at the end of the lease period, and no restrictions are placed on the use of the assets. The average lease term is 3 years. All leases are on a fixed repayment basis and no arrangements have been entered into for contingent rental payments.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset where the group or company has a legally enforceable right to do so. The following is the analysis of the deferred tax balances (after offset) for financial reporting purposes:
The deferred tax balance is expected to reverse over the course of the next 3-5 years.
During the period, the group made payments into personal pension schemes of its employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.
Company
During the period, the company entered into no related party transactions.
Group
Sales to and purchases from entities under mutual control were £2,249,519 (2024: £2,151,095) and £465,579 (2024: £898,030) respectively. At the year-end £215,068 was due to these entities (2024: £5,059,729).