UK GREETINGS LIMITED
Operating as the UK subsidiary of American Greetings, this private company manufactures and supplies greeting cards directly to retail under proprietary brands including Boofle, Watermark, and Jolie Papier.
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Cash
£3.4M
+42.7% vs 2024
Net assets
£59M
+18.4% vs 2024
Employees
3,001
+4.2% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£19M
-5.4% vs 2024
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Basic Materials median
Accounts
2-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-02-28
| Metric | Trend | 2024-02-28 | 2025-02-28 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £131,595,000 | £134,985,000 | +2.6% | |
| Operating profit | £20,325,000 | £19,328,000 | -4.9% | |
| Profit before tax | £20,477,000 | £19,379,000 | -5.4% | |
| Net profit | £15,090,000 | £14,379,000 | -4.7% | |
| Cash | £2,381,000 | £3,397,000 | +42.7% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £51,055,000 | £59,963,000 | +17.4% | |
| Net assets | £49,832,000 | £58,997,000 | +18.4% | |
| Equity | £49,832,000 | £58,997,000 | +18.4% | |
| Average employees | 2,880 | 3,001 | +4.2% | |
| Wages | £45,780,000 | £48,807,000 | +6.6% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £552,000 | £536,000 | -2.9% |
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 | 2024-02-28 | 2025-02-28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 15.4% | 14.3% | |
| Net margin | 11.5% | 10.7% | |
| Return on capital employed | 39.8% | 32.2% | |
| Current ratio | 1.73x | 2.09x |
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 1 time since incorporation
- UK GREETINGS LIMITED 1998-03-04 → present
- INTERCEDE 1299 LIMITED 1997-12-15 → 1998-03-04
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Based on this, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group and company has adequate resources to continue to at least 28 February 2027. Thus, we continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.”
Group structure
- UK GREETINGS LIMITED · parent
- Carlton Cards Limited 100%
- Gibson Hanson Graphics Limited 100%
- Collage Designs Limited 100%
- Card Connection Limited 100%
- Watermark Publishing Limited 100%
- Watermark Packaging Limited 100%
- Carlton Greetings Limited 100%
Significant events
- “On 3rd July 2025, our retail partner Tesco won the "Best Supermarket Retailer of Greeting Cards" at the Retas Greeting Card Retail Awards.”
- “The directors made a decision to pay dividends to shareholders during the year, which amounted to £5,200,000.”
- “During the year, the Group made investments to increase the available floor space in our facilities, via the construction of several mezzanine floors to accommodate additional manufacturing and distribution capabilities.”
- “As a major greetings cards publisher, we're committed to doing everything we can to support the United Nations-led push for a fairer, sustainable future for all. Through our sustainability strategy, we stand to make a positive impact on 11 of the UN's 17 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 24 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HABBOUCH, Bassem | Director | 2025-10-01 | Sep 1973 | American |
| POOLEY, Andrew Michael | Director | 2024-04-02 | Mar 1982 | British |
| STIRLAND, Ceri Jane | Director | 2023-03-01 | Dec 1968 | British |
Show 24 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALDEN, Phyllis | Secretary | 1999-01-29 | 2004-03-01 |
| CRAVEN, John Steven | Secretary | 1999-01-29 | 2004-05-07 |
| GROETZINGER, Jon | Secretary | 1998-03-09 | 2003-09-30 |
| SMITH, Adrian | Secretary | 2018-04-06 | 2024-02-07 |
| VAUX, Kevin John | Secretary | 2004-05-07 | 2018-04-06 |
| MITRE SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 1997-12-15 | 1998-03-09 |
| ALLEZ, Peter | Director | 1999-01-29 | 2001-04-29 |
| CABLE, Dale | Director | 2001-05-09 | 2003-02-28 |
| CHARLTON, John Stuart Northcliffe | Director | 1999-01-29 | 2010-03-31 |
| CONN, James | Director | 2018-04-06 | 2023-03-01 |
| CORRIGAN DAVIS, Mary Ann | Director | 1998-03-09 | 2005-02-28 |
| FRYER, Gerald Maxwell | Director | 1998-03-09 | 1999-01-29 |
| MCKAY, Stuart | Director | 1998-03-09 | 2005-01-18 |
| PERRY, Geoffrey John Cochrane | Director | 1998-03-09 | 1998-03-09 |
| REEVES, Barbara | Director | 1997-12-15 | 1998-03-09 |
| RICH, Michael William | Director | 1997-12-15 | 1998-03-09 |
| ROWLEY, Gary Leslie | Director | 2010-01-15 | 2018-03-01 |
| SALUJA, Aashish | Director | 1998-03-09 | 1998-03-09 |
| SMITH, Adrian James | Director | 2018-04-06 | 2024-02-07 |
| STEINBERG, Gregory Michael | Director | 2018-04-06 | 2020-03-23 |
| STREET, Lorna | Director | 2020-04-02 | 2025-04-30 |
| TYLER, Robert | Director | 2025-05-01 | 2025-09-30 |
| VAUX, Kevin John | Director | 1999-01-29 | 2018-04-06 |
| WEISS, Zev David | Director | 2010-09-27 | 2018-04-06 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Paul Elliott Singer | Individual | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors, Significant influence (as firm) | 2025-02-03 | Active |
| Mr Donald Gogel | Individual | Shares 75–100% (as firm), Voting 75–100% (as firm), Appoints directors (as firm) | 2018-04-06 | Ceased 2020-08-17 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 145 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2025-07-18 MA Memorandum articles
- 2025-07-18 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2025-07-16 CC04 Statement of companys objects
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-10-21 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-10-13 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-10-13 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-10-07 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-07-18 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2025-07-18 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-07-16 | CC04 | change-of-constitution | Statement of companys objects | |
| 2025-05-15 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-05-09 | PSC09 | persons-with-significant-control | Withdrawal of a person with significant control statement | |
| 2025-05-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-05-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-12-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-12-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-04-12 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-02-23 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-02-23 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2023-12-15 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-11-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-03-20 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 8
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 1
- 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.