PENGUIN BOOKS LIMITED
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Cash
£124k
-98.3% vs 2024
Net assets
£145m
+4.4% highest in 4 filed years
Employees
870
+9.8% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£63m
+11.4% highest in 4 filed years
Net assets
4-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
4-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £240,722,000 | £230,928,000 | £256,827,000 | £279,709,000 | +8.9% | |
| Operating profit | £41,173,000 | £29,131,000 | £39,002,000 | £44,182,000 | +13.3% | |
| Profit before tax | £38,885,000 | £51,039,000 | £56,511,000 | £62,945,000 | +11.4% | |
| Net profit | £30,472,000 | £43,332,000 | £45,757,000 | £50,811,000 | +11% | |
| Cash | £46,000 | £549,000 | £7,157,000 | £124,000 | -98.3% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £169,624,000 | £172,688,000 | £157,705,000 | £169,081,000 | +7.2% | |
| Net assets | £138,760,000 | £143,062,000 | £138,519,000 | £144,568,000 | +4.4% | |
| Equity | £138,760,000 | £143,062,000 | £138,519,000 | £144,568,000 | +4.4% | |
| Average employees | 928 | 869 | 792 | 870 | +9.8% | |
| Wages | — | £49,740,000 | £44,508,000 | £46,005,000 | +3.4% | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | £820,000 | £1,116,000 | £1,117,000 | +0.1% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | — | £75,000 | £23,000 | £21,000 | -8.7% | |
| Highest paid director | — | £461,000 | £577,000 | £572,000 | -0.9% |
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 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 17.1% | 12.6% | 15.2% | 15.8% | |
| Net margin | 12.7% | 18.8% | 17.8% | 18.2% | |
| Return on capital employed | 24.3% | 16.9% | 24.7% | 26.1% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 49.8% | 49.8% | 45.0% | 42.9% | |
| Current ratio | — | 2.34x | 2.56x | 2.88x | |
| Interest cover | — | 43.54x | — | — |
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 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton UK LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Based on the Company's current trading performance, the sensitivity and reverse stress testing scenarios performed and the written confirmation of support from Bertelsmann UK Limited and Bertelsmann SE Co. KGaA, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources.”
Group structure
- PENGUIN BOOKS LIMITED · parent
- Allen Lane The Penguin Press Limited 100%
- Frederick Warne & Co Limited 100%
- Michael Joseph Limited 100%
- Hamish Hamilton Limited 100%
- Ventura Publishing Limited 100%
- Ladybird Books Limited 100%
- Snowman Enterprises Limited 100%
- Children's Character Books Limited 75%
Significant events
- “An amount of £9,658,953 related to rights commission that was previously netted within revenue has been reclassified to other costs of sales.”
- “Advance royalties for the previous year has been restated to reduce the balance by £2,506,000 in order to reflect the appropriate classification of an amount offsetting the debtor for amounts not due to the Company.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
5 active · 53 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARTIN, Sinead Mary | Secretary | 2016-06-30 | — | — |
| GARDINER, Mark William | Director | 2014-03-31 | Apr 1961 | British |
| MALAVIYA, Nihar | Director | 2023-01-01 | Nov 1974 | Indian,American |
| WADDINGTON, Robert Angus | Director | 2017-01-31 | Apr 1970 | British |
| WELDON, Thomas Daryl | Director | 2010-01-01 | Aug 1963 | British |
Show 53 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGLE, Cecily Julia | Secretary | — | 1998-09-14 |
| PEACOCK, Helena Caroline | Secretary | 1998-09-14 | 2016-06-30 |
| ADAM, Max Nicholas | Director | 1995-07-11 | 2000-06-08 |
| ALEXANDER, Clare Frances | Director | — | 1997-01-31 |
| ANNAN, Juliet | Director | 1997-04-07 | 2005-07-29 |
| ATTENBOROUGH, Elizabeth Margaret | Director | — | 1995-09-18 |
| BAMFORD, Laura Elizabeth | Director | 1994-07-13 | 1994-10-24 |
| BOWRON, Peter David | Director | 2001-08-23 | 2005-10-07 |
| BRENNAN, Suzanne Margaret | Director | 2009-07-06 | 2014-03-31 |
| BRISTOW, Kevin Michael | Director | 1995-07-11 | 1996-02-29 |
| CAMPBELL-SMITH, Duncan John | Director | 1996-06-01 | 1999-12-01 |
| CARSON, Peter Thomas Staheyeff | Director | — | 1997-12-31 |
| CLARKE, Roger Grenville Quinton | Director | 1993-11-29 | 1999-01-31 |
| COWSER, John Richard | Director | 1998-06-29 | 2000-01-31 |
| DOHLE, Markus Franz-Joseph | Director | 2017-01-01 | 2022-12-31 |
| ENGLE, Cecily Julia | Director | — | 2001-12-31 |
| FIELD, Peter | Director | 2007-01-01 | 2012-12-31 |
| FLOYER, Sally Margaret Doris | Director | — | 2008-03-31 |
| FORBES WATSON, Anthony David | Director | 1994-09-29 | 2005-02-28 |
| FRANKLIN, Andrew Cecil | Director | — | 1995-07-14 |
| FRASER, Helen Jean Sutherland | Director | 1997-01-27 | 2009-12-31 |
| GLOVER, Trevor David | Director | — | 1995-11-24 |
| HALEY, Peter Nicholas | Director | 1996-12-06 | 1999-02-12 |
| HALL, Stephen Derek | Director | — | 1998-01-31 |
| HERRIDGE, Michael Geoffrey | Director | 1999-03-01 | 2002-04-15 |
| HUTCHINSON, Patrick Burgon John | Director | — | 1995-11-29 |
| JAMES, Laurence | Director | 1996-11-12 | 1998-08-14 |
| JOHNSON, Brenda | Director | — | 1995-03-01 |
| KIRKLAND, Nicholas Charles | Director | 1998-08-03 | 2000-09-30 |
| LACEY, Anthony Stephen | Director | — | 2005-07-29 |
| LANDERS, Brian James | Director | 2003-05-20 | 2009-07-31 |
| LYNTON, Michael | Director | 1996-11-12 | 2000-01-31 |
| MAKINSON, John Crowther | Director | 2002-06-01 | 2016-12-31 |
| MAYER, Peter Michael | Director | — | 1996-12-31 |
| MCCARTHY, Patrick John | Director | 1995-03-03 | 1997-12-31 |
| MILNES-SMITH, Philippa Jean | Director | 1995-09-26 | 2001-03-31 |
| PECK, John James | Director | — | 1993-12-31 |
| POWER, Charles Richard | Director | 1999-08-16 | 2003-02-28 |
| ROLFE, Alastair David | Director | 1996-01-18 | 1999-10-22 |
| ROLFE, John Henry | Director | — | 1997-08-01 |
| ROSENHEIM, Andrew Keeney | Director | 1997-09-29 | 2001-10-05 |
| SHORE, Genevieve Helen | Director | 2005-10-07 | 2007-07-01 |
| SUPPLE, Frances | Director | 1995-11-06 | 1996-08-31 |
| SYMONS, Michael John | Director | 2007-10-15 | 2017-01-31 |
| TAYLOR, Susan Elizabeth | Director | 1999-04-06 | 2005-12-31 |
| WAN, David Andrew | Director | 2000-02-01 | 2002-05-31 |
| WATT, Susan | Director | — | 1998-01-31 |
| WEBSTER, John Walter | Director | — | 1996-01-19 |
| WELDON, Thomas Daryl | Director | 1997-02-10 | 2005-07-29 |
| WELHAM, Andrew Peter | Director | 1995-03-03 | 2006-12-31 |
| WILLIAMS, Nigel John | Director | — | 1995-11-24 |
| WILSON BARKER, Rosalie Mavis | Director | — | 1995-09-01 |
| YGLESIAS, Jonathan Roy Ramon | Director | — | 1997-06-30 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penguin Random House Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 221 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-04-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-09-18 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-04-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-11-04 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2024-10-30 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2024-09-23 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-04-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-09-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-04-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-01-05 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-01-03 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-10-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-04-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-12-21 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-04-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-02-10 | AUD | auditors | Auditors resignation company | |
| 2020-09-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-04-14 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2019-09-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 2
- 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.