VIRGIN BOOKS LIMITED
Get an alert when VIRGIN BOOKS LIMITED files next
Leroy will email you the moment a new filing lands at Companies House — one short note per filing, nothing else.
Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-07-15 (in 2mo)
Last made up 2025-07-01
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£11M
+15.1% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
0
-100% lowest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£2M
+70.8% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
5-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
5-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2022-01-01 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-01-01 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | £4,983,180 | — | £5,349,518 | £6,240,333 | |
| Operating profit | — | £1,340,324 | — | £1,027,970 | £1,788,224 | |
| Profit before tax | — | £1,381,259 | — | £1,095,631 | £1,870,943 | |
| Net profit | — | £1,219,841 | — | £827,874 | £1,402,760 | |
| Cash | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | — | £8,905,254 | — | £9,820,693 | £11,002,216 | |
| Net assets | — | £8,486,671 | — | £9,314,545 | £10,717,305 | |
| Equity | £7,266,830 | £8,486,671 | £8,486,671 | £9,314,545 | £10,717,305 | |
| Average employees | — | 7 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Wages | — | £371,602 | — | £386,022 | £367,637 | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — | — | £15,722 | £16,677 |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-12-31 vs 2023-12-31
-
Turnover
+16.7%
£5,349,518 £6,240,333
highest in 3 filed years
-
Cash
—
Not reported
-
Net assets
+15.1%
£9,314,545 £10,717,305
highest in 3 filed years
-
Employees
-100%
7 0
lowest in 3 filed years
-
Operating profit
+74%
£1,027,970 £1,788,224
highest in 3 filed years
-
Profit before tax
+70.8%
£1,095,631 £1,870,943
highest in 3 filed years
-
Wages
-4.8%
£386,022 £367,637
lowest in 3 filed years
Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2022-01-01 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-01-01 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | 26.9% | — | 19.2% | 28.7% | |
| Net margin | — | 24.5% | — | 15.5% | 22.5% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | 15.1% | — | 10.5% | 16.3% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | 6.12x | 7.38x |
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
- VIRGIN BOOKS LIMITED 2001-09-04 → present
- VIRGIN PUBLISHING LIMITED 1991-07-24 → 2001-09-04
- MYREALM LIMITED 1991-06-18 → 1991-07-24
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, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, being a period of no less than twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.”
Group structure
- VIRGIN BOOKS LIMITED · parent
- WH Allen General Books Limited 100%
Significant events
- “The increase in turnover was partly driven by the success of titles such as 'How They Broke Britain'. The Company also experienced growth in audio sales.”
- “The changing book market and particularly the transition to digital is creating both challenges and opportunities for the Company”
- “In the year, we have continued our 'WriteNow' programme which seeks and nurtures writers from under-represented communities as well as providing books in formats to support visually impaired readers.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 29 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARTIN, Sinead Mary | Secretary | 2016-06-30 | — | — |
| GARDINER, Mark William | Director | 2007-03-02 | Apr 1961 | British |
| WELDON, Thomas Daryl | Director | 2013-07-01 | Aug 1963 | British |
Show 29 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAYLISS, Joshua | Secretary | 2006-08-31 | 2007-03-02 |
| FLYNN, Roger Patrick | Secretary | — | 1995-03-31 |
| GARDINER, Mark William | Secretary | 2007-03-02 | 2014-10-20 |
| GRAM, Peter Gerardus | Secretary | 2000-03-10 | 2006-08-31 |
| LEGGE, Diana Patricia | Secretary | 1996-06-28 | 2000-03-10 |
| PEACOCK, Helena Caroline | Secretary | 2014-10-20 | 2016-06-30 |
| ZAMET, Naomi Rae | Secretary | 1995-03-31 | 1996-06-28 |
| ZIPRIN, Geoffrey Charles | Nominee Secretary | 1991-06-18 | 1991-07-03 |
| BRANSON, Richard Charles Nicholas, Sir | Director | 1991-07-03 | 2004-04-15 |
| BRIDGE, Matthew Downie | Director | 2012-03-27 | 2014-08-06 |
| CABLE, Richard Hamilton | Director | 2007-03-02 | 2010-01-04 |
| DEVEREUX, Robert Harold Ferrers | Director | 2004-05-24 | 2004-11-24 |
| DEVEREUX, Robert Harold Ferrers | Director | 1997-01-27 | 2000-09-29 |
| FISHER, Mark Grenville | Director | 2000-06-29 | 2002-02-01 |
| FORSTER, Karen Elizabeth | Director | 2000-09-29 | 2007-12-31 |
| FUSSELL, Thomas Cyrus | Director | 2009-03-19 | 2009-12-08 |
| HUDSON, Ian Michael | Director | 2007-03-02 | 2008-10-31 |
| IBBETT, Kenneth Richard Andre | Director | 1996-12-10 | 2000-06-29 |
| IBBETT, Kenneth Richard Andre | Director | 1996-01-11 | 2004-04-15 |
| MACINTYRE, Fiona Bell | Director | 2010-01-04 | 2014-09-30 |
| MCCALL, Patrick Charles Kingdon | Director | 2002-02-01 | 2007-03-02 |
| MOORHEAD, John Patrick | Director | 2007-10-01 | 2012-03-27 |
| MOORHEAD, John Patrick | Director | 2006-01-24 | 2007-03-02 |
| PEACHEY, Jonathan James | Director | 2002-03-13 | 2006-01-24 |
| POTTER, Irene | Nominee Director | 1991-06-18 | 1991-07-03 |
| REBUCK, Gail Ruth, Baroness | Director | 2007-03-02 | 2013-07-01 |
| SHREEVE, Robert Allan | Director | 1991-07-03 | 2000-09-29 |
| SINGTON, Adrian | Director | 2004-05-24 | 2006-04-03 |
| WHITEHORN, William Elliott | Director | 2004-04-15 | 2007-10-01 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Random House Group Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors, Significant influence | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 237 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2025-12-18 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-18 | SH19 | capital | Capital statement capital company with date currency figure | |
| 2025-12-18 | SH20 | capital | Legacy | |
| 2025-12-18 | CAP-SS | insolvency | Legacy | |
| 2025-12-18 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-09-18 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-07-01 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-11-25 | ANNOTATION | miscellaneous | Legacy | |
| 2024-10-30 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2024-09-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-07-04 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-10-11 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-07-03 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-07-04 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-12-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-07-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-02-10 | AUD | auditors | Auditors resignation company | |
| 2020-12-22 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-07-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2019-09-25 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 6
- Capital events
- 2
- 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.