W.L. DUFFIELD & SONS LIMITED
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Cash
£2.8M
+26.3% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£8.6M
+3.5% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
112
+1.8% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£4.8M
+40.9% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Staples median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-09-27
| Metric | Trend | 2023-09-30 | 2024-09-28 | 2025-09-27 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £84,598,000 | £72,635,000 | £72,456,000 | -0.2% | |
| Operating profit | £4,143,000 | £3,360,000 | £4,764,000 | +41.8% | |
| Profit before tax | £4,107,000 | £3,383,000 | £4,766,000 | +40.9% | |
| Net profit | £3,235,000 | £2,885,000 | £3,788,000 | +31.3% | |
| Cash | £1,513,000 | £2,216,000 | £2,799,000 | +26.3% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £9,434,000 | £9,395,000 | £9,647,000 | +2.7% | |
| Net assets | £8,152,000 | £8,287,000 | £8,575,000 | +3.5% | |
| Equity | £8,152,000 | £8,287,000 | £8,575,000 | +3.5% | |
| Average employees | 111 | 110 | 112 | +1.8% | |
| Wages | £3,790,000 | £3,983,000 | £4,303,000 | +8% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £246,000 | £259,000 | £279,000 | +7.7% |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-09-30 | 2024-09-28 | 2025-09-27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 4.9% | 4.6% | 6.6% | |
| Net margin | 3.8% | 4.0% | 5.2% | |
| Return on capital employed | 43.9% | 35.8% | 49.4% | |
| Current ratio | 1.51x | 1.49x | 1.48x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Larking Gowen LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Group of which this Company is a member has considerable financial resources and continues to trade profitability in the current financial period. As a result, the directors believe that the Company is well placed to manage its business risks successfully despite the current uncertain economic outlook. Accordingly the directors believe it remains appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.”
Significant events
- “Post year end the company purchased the Wingham site in Kent from Frontier Agriculture. The site is home to the company's southeast mill which we have operated for the last 16 years. The site is 35 acres in total and has many different buildings and silos which gives the company plenty of exciting opportunities for the future. On the site is ground mounted and roof mounted solar panels totalling 1,200 kwh which the Directors feel is a big leap forward into green energy for the group. Duffields own two farms which also have their own solar panels and is in the process of adding another block.”
- “There is a joint and several liability with other group companies under a group VAT registration. At the period end there was an outstanding debtor of £278,000 (2024 - £302,000) due from HMRC in respect of the VAT group.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
5 active · 12 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHASE, Paul Michael | Secretary | 2012-03-23 | — | — |
| BEESTY, Colin | Director | 2015-11-30 | Mar 1970 | British |
| BLACK, Ian Matthew Gregor | Director | 2021-08-17 | Jul 1983 | British |
| CHASE, Paul Michael | Director | 2015-11-30 | Oct 1980 | British |
| DUFFIELD, Alistair William | Director | 1995-06-13 | May 1970 | British |
Show 12 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOND, Francis Sidney | Secretary | — | 1997-02-17 |
| HILLS, David Edward | Secretary | 1997-02-17 | 2012-04-05 |
| BAXTER, Jack Robert | Director | — | 1997-02-10 |
| BOND, Francis Sidney | Director | — | 1996-02-06 |
| CAMERON, Robert | Director | 1997-12-08 | 1999-06-30 |
| DUFFIELD, Hugh Anthony | Director | — | 2007-07-23 |
| HILLS, David Edward | Director | 1996-02-13 | 2017-12-31 |
| MCLEAN, Douglas Robin | Director | — | 1996-11-08 |
| OLDMAN, Richard John | Director | 1996-02-13 | 1998-05-15 |
| RAPER, Martyn William | Director | 2015-11-30 | 2021-12-31 |
| ROBB, David Lloyd | Director | — | 1999-10-01 |
| SCOTT, Paul | Director | 1997-02-17 | 2004-06-30 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Alistair William Duffield | Individual | Significant influence | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2016-04-06 |
| Duffields Mills Ltd | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 134 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-02-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-02-06 | RP01AP01 | officers | Replacement filing of director appointment with name | |
| 2025-08-01 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-05-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-03-18 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-05-23 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-02-27 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-07-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-04-13 | PSC05 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2023-02-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-05-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-03-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-03-08 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-01-04 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2022-01-04 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2021-08-17 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2021-04-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-02-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2020-10-26 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.