WOODLANDS BOOKS LIMITED
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Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£5.7m
-10.9% lowest in 4 filed years
Employees
0
-100% lowest in 4 filed years
Profit before tax
-£928k
-57.7% lowest in 4 filed years
Net assets
4-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
4-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £7,115,602 | £6,873,658 | £6,459,731 | £5,028,784 | -22.2% | |
| Operating profit | -£603,888 | -£825,876 | -£856,838 | -£1,131,925 | -32.1% | |
| Profit before tax | -£508,833 | -£561,286 | -£588,215 | -£927,755 | -57.7% | |
| Net profit | -£419,081 | -£447,057 | -£446,186 | -£702,102 | -57.4% | |
| Cash | £2,637 | £17,101 | £0 | — | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £8,595,124 | £7,606,428 | £7,083,168 | £6,353,117 | -10.3% | |
| Net assets | — | £6,880,540 | £6,434,354 | £5,732,252 | -10.9% | |
| Equity | £7,327,597 | £6,880,540 | £6,434,354 | £5,732,252 | -10.9% | |
| Average employees | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | -100% | |
| Wages | £296,274 | £268,727 | £329,511 | £280,916 | -14.7% | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | £118,049 | £101,085 | £69,660 | -31.1% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | — | £10,668 | £6,107 | £4,760 | -22.1% | |
| Highest paid director | — | £83,147 | £73,283 | £51,754 | -29.4% |
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 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | -8.5% | -12.0% | -13.3% | -22.5% | |
| Net margin | -5.9% | -6.5% | -6.9% | -14.0% | |
| Return on capital employed | -7.0% | -10.9% | -12.1% | -17.8% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | — | 35.4% | 30.6% | — | |
| Current ratio | — | 3.50x | 4.24x | — |
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
- WOODLANDS BOOKS LIMITED 2005-03-22 → present
- HILLGRAIN LIMITED 2005-01-14 → 2005-03-22
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- other
- 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 and the written confirmation of support from Bertelsmann UK Limited and Bertelsmann SE Co. KGaA, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 21 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GARDINER, Mark William | Secretary | 2006-07-19 | — | British |
| DAVIES, Stephen Thomas | Director | 2019-11-14 | Nov 1968 | British |
| GARDINER, Mark William | Director | 2006-07-19 | Apr 1961 | British |
| RICKETT, Joel David | Director | 2019-07-16 | Jun 1976 | British |
| TWYNAM, Nancy | Director | 2019-11-14 | Apr 1979 | British |
| WELDON, Thomas Daryl | Director | 2013-07-01 | Aug 1963 | British |
Show 21 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMOUT, Maria Anne | Secretary | 2005-02-11 | 2005-08-30 |
| STEVENSON, James David | Secretary | 2005-08-30 | 2006-07-19 |
| SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 2005-01-14 | 2005-02-11 |
| AINSBY, Gavin James | Director | 2005-03-29 | 2006-06-30 |
| ARTHUR, Marcus Peter | Director | 2013-08-05 | 2019-11-14 |
| ARTHUR, Marcus Peter | Director | 2010-03-19 | 2011-03-15 |
| BRETT, Nicholas Richard John | Director | 2013-08-05 | 2015-06-08 |
| COOPER, Sarah Felicity | Director | 2005-03-29 | 2012-01-15 |
| DAVIES, Brian John | Director | 2006-07-19 | 2015-09-30 |
| DAVIES, Stephen Thomas | Director | 2012-01-15 | 2013-08-05 |
| DEMPSEY, Paul Francis | Director | 2011-03-15 | 2013-08-05 |
| DEMPSEY, Paul Francis | Director | 2008-09-26 | 2010-03-19 |
| HUDSON, Ian Michael | Director | 2006-07-19 | 2008-10-31 |
| MACINTYRE, Fiona Bell | Director | 2008-12-18 | 2014-09-30 |
| MOULTRIE, Andrew David | Director | 2017-11-30 | 2019-10-18 |
| NOAKES, Jonathan David | Director | 2015-06-08 | 2017-06-27 |
| PARSONS, Richard John | Director | 2005-02-11 | 2006-07-19 |
| REBUCK, Gail Ruth, Baroness | Director | 2006-07-19 | 2013-07-01 |
| SMART, Rebecca Jane | Director | 2014-10-22 | 2018-12-31 |
| WELLER, Christopher Charles | Director | 2005-03-29 | 2008-09-26 |
| INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 2005-01-14 | 2005-02-11 |
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 | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 116 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-01-23 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-09-18 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-01-14 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-11-04 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2024-09-23 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-01-15 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-10-11 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-01-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-01-18 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-12-21 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-02-10 | AUD | auditors | Auditors resignation company | |
| 2021-01-15 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2020-11-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-01-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2019-11-19 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2019-11-19 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2019-11-19 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2019-11-19 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name 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.