MACFARLANE GROUP UK LIMITED
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Cash
£6.6m
+1% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£73m
-3.1% vs 2024
Employees
760
-3.8% lowest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£6.1m
-63.5% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Industrials 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 | £213,329,000 | £195,657,000 | £195,006,000 | -0.3% | |
| Operating profit | £19,609,000 | £16,418,000 | £6,297,000 | -61.6% | |
| Profit before tax | £23,018,000 | £16,613,000 | £6,072,000 | -63.5% | |
| Net profit | £19,014,000 | £13,799,000 | £5,408,000 | -60.8% | |
| Cash | £649,000 | £6,575,000 | £6,639,000 | +1% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £144,639,000 | £161,459,000 | £160,928,000 | -0.3% | |
| Net assets | £67,018,000 | £75,094,000 | £72,770,000 | -3.1% | |
| Equity | £67,018,000 | £75,094,000 | £72,770,000 | -3.1% | |
| Average employees | 811 | 790 | 760 | -3.8% | |
| Wages | £29,859,000 | £29,439,000 | £37,792,000 | +28.4% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £204,000 | £217,000 | £140,000 | -35.5% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £9,000 | £10,000 | £10,000 | 0% |
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 | 9.2% | 8.4% | 3.2% | |
| Net margin | 8.9% | 7.1% | 2.8% | |
| Return on capital employed | 13.6% | 10.2% | 3.9% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 66.2% | 53.5% | — | |
| Current ratio | 1.14x | 1.06x | 0.82x | |
| Interest cover | 4.98x | 3.38x | 1.10x |
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 3 times since incorporation
- MACFARLANE GROUP UK LIMITED 2001-12-05 → present
- NATIONAL PACKAGING GROUP LIMITED 1993-01-01 → 2001-12-05
- FIST FAST PACKAGING PLC 1988-05-26 → 1993-01-01
- COWLEAS GROUP LIMITED(THE) 1982-04-20 → 1988-05-26
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Deloitte LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in existence for at least twelve months from the date of signing these financial statements. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.”
Group structure
- MACFARLANE GROUP UK LIMITED · parent
- Online Packaging Limited 100%
- Abbott's Packaging Limited 100%
- Mitchell Packaging Limited 100%
- Macfarlane Packaging Limited 100%
- One Packaging Limited 100%
- Greenwoods Stock Boxes Limited 100%
- Network Packaging Limited 100%
- Tyler Packaging (Leicester) Limited 100%
- Harrisons Packaging Limited 100%
- Leyland Packaging Company (Lancs) Limited 100%
- Carnweather Limited 100%
- Ecopac (U.K.) Limited 100%
- Nottingham Recycling Limited 100%
- GWP Group Limited 100%
- Carters Packaging Limited 100%
- AE Suttons Limited 100%
- A and G Holdings Limited 100%
- Gottlieb Packaging Materials Limited 100%
- B&D Foam Limited 100%
- Barum and Dewar 100%
- B&D 2010 Group 100%
- Allpack Packaging Supplies Limited 100%
- Polyformes Limited 100%
- The Pitreavie Group Limited 100%
- Pitreavie Packaging Limited 100%
Significant events
- “On 10 January 2025, the Company acquired 100% of The Pitreavie Group Limited ("Pitreavie") for £10.6m, with potential contingent consideration of up to £4.0m payable in the first quarters of 2026 and 2027.”
- “The directors were saddened to report in October the loss of one of our colleagues in a tragic incident at the corrugate manufacturing facility of Pitreavie.”
- “The performance of the Pitreavie business since acquisition, in part due to the incident, has been well below expectations.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 35 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MACDONALD, James | Secretary | 2021-03-25 | — | — |
| ATKINSON, Peter Duncan | Director | 2009-07-16 | Oct 1956 | British |
| GRAY, Ivor | Director | 2001-04-09 | Jul 1969 | British |
| MACDONALD, James Graham | Director | 2021-03-25 | Jan 1986 | British |
Show 35 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHAMBERLAIN, Stephen Ronald | Secretary | 2000-12-22 | 2001-12-31 |
| CHAMBERLAIN, Stephen Ronald | Secretary | 1996-02-29 | 1996-11-29 |
| CONNER, Eileen | Secretary | 1999-10-01 | 2000-12-22 |
| COTTON, Andrew | Secretary | 2010-09-09 | 2015-05-08 |
| FURLONG, Colin Arthur | Secretary | — | 1991-05-07 |
| GRAY, Ivor | Secretary | 2001-04-09 | 2003-01-09 |
| LANGFORD, Roger William | Secretary | 1993-04-14 | 1996-02-29 |
| LAWTON, Kirsten | Secretary | 1996-11-29 | 1999-10-01 |
| LOVE, John | Secretary | 2015-05-08 | 2021-03-25 |
| THOMSON, Valerie Angela | Secretary | 1991-05-07 | 1993-04-14 |
| YOUNG, George Hunter | Secretary | 2003-01-09 | 2010-09-09 |
| BRIECHLE, Marie-Bernadette Franziska Lydia | Director | 1998-07-01 | 2002-01-29 |
| CASEY, Graham Hendry | Director | 2001-04-09 | 2009-03-24 |
| COTTON, Andrew | Director | 2001-04-09 | 2015-05-08 |
| FINNEY, Andre Ronald | Director | 2002-12-10 | 2004-04-07 |
| FURLONG, Colin Arthur | Director | — | 1991-05-22 |
| HANCOCK, Barry David | Director | — | 1991-05-31 |
| HATHAWAY, David Graham Carey | Director | 1996-01-22 | 2000-03-31 |
| HOCKADAY, John Edward | Director | — | 1993-07-24 |
| HUTCHENS, Christopher Peter | Director | — | 1993-03-08 |
| JOHNSON, Matthew Ronald | Director | 1997-07-01 | 1999-07-01 |
| LANGFORD, Roger William | Director | — | 1996-02-29 |
| LOVE, John | Director | 2009-07-16 | 2021-03-25 |
| MCINNES, Bruce Gordon | Director | 1999-11-17 | 2001-04-09 |
| MCINNES, Bruce Gordon, Doctor | Director | 1991-05-07 | 1995-05-25 |
| MENDEL, Roy | Director | — | 1993-02-05 |
| PERKINS, John Anthony | Director | 1991-05-07 | 1995-05-25 |
| PLIMMER, Andrew Jonathan | Director | 1993-09-10 | 1997-09-26 |
| SPEARS, Neil Andrew | Director | 1998-07-01 | 2001-12-31 |
| STEPHENSON, John Philip | Director | 1993-07-24 | 1999-08-05 |
| TUGMAN, Neal Ronald | Director | 1996-01-22 | 1997-09-26 |
| VANDORE, John Shepherd | Director | 1995-02-03 | 1995-07-01 |
| YOUNG, George Hunter | Director | 2002-12-10 | 2010-09-17 |
| BAKER STREET CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Director | 1996-11-21 | 2001-04-09 |
| COACH HOUSE MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Director | 1995-05-25 | 2001-04-09 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macfarlane Group Plc | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 243 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2024-12-10 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2024-12-10 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-09 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-12-23 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-07-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-01-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-12-10 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2024-12-10 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2024-12-10 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-12-10 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-12-10 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-12-03 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-07-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-01-03 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-06-27 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2023-05-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-01-05 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-04-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-01-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-03-25 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2021-03-25 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2021-03-25 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
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.