BONNIER BOOKS UK LIMITED
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Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£2.9m
-52.4% lowest in 3 filed years
Employees
207
+2.5% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
-£2.7m
-776.8% vs 2024
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £42,154,715 | £45,005,470 | £46,022,279 | +2.3% | |
| Operating profit | -£1,835,121 | £1,157,890 | -£1,398,859 | -220.8% | |
| Profit before tax | -£2,752,746 | £399,029 | -£2,700,517 | -776.8% | |
| Net profit | -£2,784,881 | £27,238 | -£2,913,569 | -10,796.7% | |
| Cash | £7,705 | £7,705 | — | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £19,403,353 | £18,749,837 | £18,922,353 | +0.9% | |
| Net assets | £6,020,001 | £6,047,239 | £2,877,496 | -52.4% | |
| Equity | £6,020,001 | £6,047,239 | £2,877,496 | -52.4% | |
| Average employees | 200 | 202 | 207 | +2.5% | |
| Wages | £10,717,779 | £10,989,448 | £11,104,071 | +1% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £288,000 | £288,000 | £539,806 | +87.4% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £27,500 | £27,500 | £36,547 | +32.9% | |
| Highest paid director | £315,500 | £288,000 | £333,037 | +15.6% |
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 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | -4.4% | 2.6% | -3.0% | |
| Net margin | -6.6% | 0.1% | -6.3% | |
| Return on capital employed | -9.5% | 6.2% | -7.4% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 84.4% | 85.8% | 93.7% | |
| Current ratio | 1.61x | 1.45x | 1.26x | |
| Interest cover | -2.00x | 1.53x | -1.07x |
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.
Name history
Renamed 4 times since incorporation
- BONNIER BOOKS UK LIMITED 2019-07-02 → present
- KINGS ROAD PUBLISHING LIMITED 2016-11-02 → 2019-07-02
- THE TEMPLAR COMPANY LIMITED 2008-09-05 → 2016-11-02
- THE TEMPLAR COMPANY PLC 1989-11-24 → 2008-09-05
- TEMPLAR PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 1981-03-06 → 1989-11-24
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Cooper Parry Group Limited
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Having prepared and considered detailed future cash flow forecasts the directors are confident that the company will trade profitably which will generate operational cash inflows. This, combined with committed funding facilities, will be sufficient for the company to meet its liabilities as they fall due for a period of at least one year from the date of approval of these financial statements. Accordingly, the directors consider it appropriate to prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis.”
Group structure
- BONNIER BOOKS UK LIMITED · parent
- John Blake Publishing Limited 100%
Significant events
- “The company began to realise the benefits of its new publishing initiatives that were launched in 2024. This included a new Science Fiction and Fantasy list and LEAP, a lifestyle imprint led by Carol Tonkinson. LEAP delivered notable commercial success in 2025, particularly with a new cookery title by Joe Wicks.”
- “In response to continued declines in the UK print book market, particularly in non-fiction, the company undertook a strategic review of its portfolio, resulting in the wind-down of certain non-fiction imprints where longer-term profitability was unclear.”
- “In early 2026, the company also decided to cease new local publishing activity from its Australian imprint, Echo.”
- “Anna Bond joined the company as the new Children's MD in April 2026. The company is now well placed to succeed in an evolving market, and recently announced the acquisition of Lessons in Chemistry author Bonnier Garmus' second title, which will be published in October 2026.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 31 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BENTON, Sarah Carolyn | Director | 2025-04-09 | Feb 1982 | British |
| PERDONI, Jonathan Talbot | Director | 2016-01-01 | Jul 1982 | British |
| RUDELS, Karl Håkan | Director | 2018-05-10 | Jan 1974 | Swedish |
| ZETTERLUND, Jim Rickard | Director | 2018-05-10 | Jan 1984 | Swedish |
Show 31 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| EAST, Graeme Philip | Secretary | 1993-06-22 | 2001-07-31 |
| FREEDMAN, Michael Gerald | Secretary | 2001-07-31 | 2008-09-11 |
| FREEDMAN, Michael Gerald | Secretary | — | 1993-06-22 |
| JOHNSON, Richard Marcus | Secretary | 2008-09-11 | 2016-10-31 |
| CARLISLE, Richard Henry | Director | — | 2008-09-11 |
| CRAIG, Ian James | Director | 1997-05-01 | 2001-09-24 |
| EAST, Graeme Philip | Director | — | 2001-07-31 |
| EVARISTO, Gregory Martin | Director | 2020-12-10 | 2020-12-10 |
| FREEDMAN, Michael Gerald | Director | — | 2008-09-11 |
| HERRIDGE, Michael Geoffrey | Director | 2008-10-01 | 2012-01-31 |
| HIGGINS, Desmond | Director | 2008-09-11 | 2009-04-01 |
| HOLT, Nicholas Jeremy | Director | 2002-03-21 | 2004-12-15 |
| HUDDLESTON, Ruth | Director | 1996-03-21 | 2011-12-31 |
| HUNT, Elaine Joan | Director | 2001-07-24 | 2008-09-11 |
| INMAN, David Michael | Director | 2011-12-31 | 2013-09-20 |
| JENNINGS, Lawrence David | Director | — | 1993-06-22 |
| JOHNSON, Richard Marcus | Director | 2008-09-11 | 2018-02-26 |
| KIDD, Michael William Weaver | Director | 2001-06-19 | 2005-07-31 |
| MANN, Perminderpal Kaur Gill | Director | 2015-05-01 | 2019-01-15 |
| MCGRATH, Michael Joseph | Director | 2012-07-02 | 2014-03-24 |
| MCNAMARA, Jane Louise | Director | 1993-06-22 | 1998-01-15 |
| MYERS, Bruce Cragg | Director | 2006-04-18 | 2006-05-04 |
| NICITA, Michael | Director | 2001-06-19 | 2002-03-21 |
| RUST, Neil Kenneth | Director | 2012-05-11 | 2012-08-24 |
| SCRIVENER, Richard James | Director | 2007-03-05 | 2009-06-19 |
| SINGTON, Adrian | Director | 2005-08-03 | 2008-09-11 |
| VAN WOERKOM, Jacobus Johannes | Director | — | 1994-06-30 |
| WARBURTON, William Denis | Director | 1992-01-16 | 1993-06-22 |
| WHITE, Diane Brenda | Director | 2006-04-18 | 2006-12-14 |
| WILTON-STEER, Timothy Nigel | Director | — | 1992-01-16 |
| WOOD, Amanda Jane | Director | — | 2014-02-07 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnier Books Uk Group Holdings Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 282 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-08-10 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-09-26 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-09-25 | PSC05 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2025-08-11 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-04-16 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-11-05 | ANNOTATION | miscellaneous | Legacy | |
| 2024-10-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-10-01 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company | |
| 2024-09-30 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-11-29 | DISS40 | gazette | Gazette filings brought up to date | |
| 2023-11-28 | GAZ1 | gazette | Gazette notice compulsory | |
| 2023-11-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-09-28 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-06-12 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-06-12 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-06-12 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-04-27 | PSC05 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2022-09-28 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-09-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full |
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.