BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC
Listed on the London Stock Exchange, the company is a global publishing house that produces fiction, non-fiction, and academic books in both print and digital formats.
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Cash
£44m
+8.4% vs 2025
Net assets
£216m
+0.5% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
1,238
+6.6% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£34m
+5.2% vs 2025
Watch the reel
Our short-form breakdown of BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC's latest filing
Bloomsbury's top line shrank, but leaner operations and a new acquisition pushed profits up 20%. 📚💰
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2026-02-28
| Metric | Trend | 2024-02-29 | 2025-02-28 | 2026-02-28 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £342,700,000 | £361,000,000 | £325,900,000 | -9.7% | |
| Operating profit | £40,600,000 | £33,300,000 | £35,400,000 | +6.3% | |
| Profit before tax | £48,800,000 | £32,500,000 | £34,200,000 | +5.2% | |
| Net profit | — | £25,400,000 | £27,000,000 | +6.3% | |
| Cash | £65,800,000 | £40,600,000 | £44,000,000 | +8.4% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £212,200,000 | — | — | — | |
| Net assets | £202,500,000 | £214,800,000 | £215,900,000 | +0.5% | |
| Equity | £202,500,000 | £214,800,000 | £215,900,000 | +0.5% | |
| Average employees | 162 | 1,161 | 1,238 | +6.6% | |
| Wages | £59,200,000 | £32,200,000 | £25,600,000 | -20.5% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £2,103,000 | £2,474,000 | £2,753,000 | +11.3% | |
| Highest paid director | £1,700,000 | £1,248,000 | £1,436,000 | +15.1% |
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 | 2024-02-29 | 2025-02-28 | 2026-02-28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 11.8% | 9.2% | 10.9% | |
| Net margin | — | 7.0% | 8.3% | |
| Return on capital employed | 19.1% | — | — | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 45.5% | 29.4% | 30.2% | |
| Current ratio | 1.68x | 2.28x | 1.84x | |
| Interest cover | — | 15.86x | 18.63x |
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 2 times since incorporation
- BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC 1986-09-16 → present
- BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 1986-05-28 → 1986-09-16
- M.B.N.1 LIMITED 1986-01-30 → 1986-05-28
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- IFRS
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Crowe U.K. LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements, and they therefore continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the consolidated financial statements. The Board has therefore modelled a severe but plausible downside scenario, the Group would maintain sufficient liquidity headroom even before modelling the mitigating effect of actions that the Group would take in the event that these downside risks were to crystallise.”
Group structure
- BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC · parent
- Bloomsbury Information Limited 100%
- Bloomsbury Publishing Inc 100%
- Bloomsbury Publishing Pty Limited 100%
Significant events
- “Acquired Rowman & Littlefield in May 2024.”
- “Bloomsbury voted Publisher of the Year 2025 at the British Book Awards.”
- “Successfully completed several transitions including systems integration of Rowman & Littlefield and the dissolution and relocation of our warehouse.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
8 active · 42 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABU-DEEB, Maya Margaret | Secretary | 2019-01-21 | — | — |
| BASON, John George | Director | 2022-04-01 | Apr 1957 | British |
| NEWTON, John Nigel | Director | — | Jun 1955 | American |
| RABBATTS, Heather Victoria, Dame | Director | 2025-04-14 | Dec 1955 | British |
| REED, Leslie-Ann | Director | 2019-07-17 | May 1959 | British |
| RIDOUT, Jenny | Director | 2026-04-14 | Oct 1972 | British |
| UNDERWOOD, Keith Robert | Director | 2026-02-02 | Oct 1976 | British |
| YOUNG, Margaret Lola, Baroness | Director | 2021-01-01 | Jun 1951 | British |
Show 42 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADAMS, Colin Raymond | Secretary | 1994-04-29 | 2005-04-04 |
| BATT, Nigel Paul | Secretary | — | 1992-12-31 |
| CORDESCHI, Richard | Secretary | 2005-04-04 | 2007-12-20 |
| DAYKIN, Michael Richard | Secretary | 2011-02-23 | 2019-01-18 |
| PORTAL, Ian | Secretary | 2007-12-20 | 2011-02-23 |
| RAINE, Richard Denby | Secretary | 1993-01-06 | 1994-01-21 |
| WHYATT, Paul Alan | Secretary | 1994-01-21 | 1994-04-29 |
| ADAMS, Colin Raymond | Director | 1994-04-29 | 2011-04-08 |
| ALLETZHANDER, Albert Joseph | Director | — | 1994-09-12 |
| BATT, Nigel Paul | Director | — | 1992-12-31 |
| BLACK, Charles Archibald Adam | Director | 2004-06-24 | 2010-05-28 |
| BLACK, Charles Archibald Adam | Director | 2000-07-03 | 2001-01-15 |
| CALDER, Elizabeth Nicole | Director | — | 2008-04-01 |
| CAYZER, Charles William, The Honourable | Director | — | 1995-04-12 |
| CHARKIN, Richard Denis Paul | Director | 2007-10-01 | 2018-05-31 |
| COLEMAN, Diana Jill, Ms. | Director | 2000-07-03 | 2004-09-21 |
| CORMACK, Ian Donald | Director | 2011-01-01 | 2015-07-23 |
| DARE, John Ashton | Director | 1993-08-23 | 2004-06-24 |
| FRY, Minna Nell | Director | 2000-06-22 | 2004-09-21 |
| GLASSPOOL, Jonathan Rennie | Director | 2015-07-23 | 2020-07-21 |
| HALL, Steven Richard | Director | 2017-03-01 | 2022-07-20 |
| HAMILTON, Matthew William | Director | 1998-06-08 | 2000-11-10 |
| JONES, Jill Louise | Director | 2013-07-23 | 2019-07-17 |
| LAMBERT, Richard Peter, Sir | Director | 2017-07-18 | 2024-07-16 |
| MAYER, Michael | Director | 2002-01-23 | 2010-12-31 |
| MAYER, Michael James | Director | — | 1992-12-31 |
| ODEDINA, Sarah Elizabeth | Director | 2002-01-23 | 2004-09-21 |
| PAGE, Stephen Alexander | Director | 2013-08-20 | 2017-03-01 |
| PALLOT, Wendy Monica | Director | 2011-04-08 | 2018-07-16 |
| PRINGLE, Alexandra Jane Reina | Director | 2000-02-11 | 2004-09-21 |
| RAINE, Richard Denby | Director | 1993-01-06 | 1994-01-21 |
| REYNOLDS, David Clifton | Director | — | 1999-10-08 |
| ROONEY, Kathryn Muriel, Dr | Director | 1996-05-01 | 2004-09-21 |
| SALKELD, Ian | Director | — | 1994-06-23 |
| SALZ, Anthony Michael Vaughan, Sir | Director | 2013-08-29 | 2017-07-18 |
| SCHERER, Paul Joseph | Director | 1993-07-30 | 2006-04-03 |
| SCOTT-BAYFIELD, Penelope Samantha Juliette | Director | 2018-07-16 | 2026-02-02 |
| THOMSON, Sarah Jane | Director | 2010-05-28 | 2013-07-11 |
| WARD, David Harper | Director | 2002-06-27 | 2004-09-21 |
| WARREN, John Anthony | Director | 2015-07-23 | 2021-07-21 |
| WHERRY, Alan Victor | Director | — | 2002-11-29 |
| WILSON, Jeremy James O'Brien | Director | 2005-11-24 | 2013-08-29 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 465 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2026-08-05 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2025-07-29 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2024-07-23 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2023-08-01 MA Memorandum articles
- 2023-08-01 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2026-08-05 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2026-06-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-05-21 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-04-15 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-02-02 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-02-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-08-06 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-07-29 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-06-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-04-15 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-04-15 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-09-03 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-07-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-07-23 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2024-07-18 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-06-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-08-01 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2023-08-01 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2023-07-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 7
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 2
- Officers resigned
- 1
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.