DIRECT TOOL COMPANY LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-11-03 (in 6mo)
Last made up 2025-10-20
Watchouts
Cash
£3M
+11.5% highest in 6 filed years
Net assets
£3M
+123.2% highest in 6 filed years
Employees
51
+6.3% highest in 6 filed years
Profit before tax
£3M
+74.4% vs 2023
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
Audit opinion: Qualified
Latest auditor's report carried a non-clean opinion.
Net assets
6-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
6-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2019-12-31 | 2021-06-30 | 2021-12-31 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | — | — | — | £18,466,686 | £21,889,969 | |
| Operating profit | — | — | — | — | £1,532,005 | £2,598,432 | |
| Profit before tax | — | — | — | — | £1,562,620 | £2,725,141 | |
| Net profit | — | — | — | — | £1,207,656 | £2,027,287 | |
| Cash | £1,085,553 | £603,198 | £656,602 | £1,866,285 | £2,456,907 | £2,739,972 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £717,580 | £4,327,963 | £4,674,967 | £2,152,200 | £6,118,977 | £6,728,271 | |
| Net assets | £294,218 | £350,000 | £350,000 | £398,761 | £1,306,877 | £2,916,752 | |
| Equity | £294,218 | £350,000 | £350,000 | £398,761 | £1,306,877 | £2,916,752 | |
| Average employees | 34 | 37 | 42 | 48 | 48 | 51 | |
| Wages | — | — | — | — | £1,590,360 | £1,922,937 | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — | — | — | £36,948 | £36,885 |
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
+18.5%
£18,466,686 £21,889,969
-
Cash
+11.5%
£2,456,907 £2,739,972
highest in 6 filed years
-
Net assets
+123.2%
£1,306,877 £2,916,752
highest in 6 filed years
-
Employees
+6.3%
48 51
highest in 6 filed years
-
Operating profit
+69.6%
£1,532,005 £2,598,432
-
Profit before tax
+74.4%
£1,562,620 £2,725,141
-
Wages
+20.9%
£1,590,360 £1,922,937
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 | 2019-12-31 | 2021-06-30 | 2021-12-31 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | — | — | — | 8.3% | 11.9% | |
| Net margin | — | — | — | — | 6.5% | 9.3% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | — | — | — | 25.0% | 38.6% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | — | — | — | — | 85.9% | 70.4% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | — | 2.83x | 3.05x |
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
- DIRECT TOOL COMPANY LIMITED 2013-12-17 → present
- DIRECT TOOL COMPANY 2008-10-23 → 2013-12-17
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Sumer Audit
- Audit opinion
- Qualified
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate. We have not identified any material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.”
Significant events
- “Principal risks and uncertainties: The main risks facing the Company include supply chain disruption, inflation in product and transport costs, and economic uncertainty affecting customer demand. To mitigate these, the Company maintains high levels of stock, builds strong supplier relationships, and closely monitors its cost base.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 7 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAKEFORD, Luke | Director | 2008-10-20 | Sep 1985 | British |
| WAKEFORD, Rick | Director | 2008-10-20 | Mar 1988 | British |
| WAKEFORD, Timothy | Director | 2008-10-20 | Jan 1965 | British |
Show 7 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAKEFORD, Penelope | Secretary | 2008-10-20 | 2021-12-23 |
| SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2008-10-20 | 2008-10-20 |
| WAKEFORD, Claire Louise | Director | 2018-10-21 | 2021-12-23 |
| WAKEFORD, Josephine | Director | 2008-10-20 | 2021-12-23 |
| WAKEFORD, Ken | Director | 2008-10-20 | 2020-09-15 |
| WAKEFORD, Penelope | Director | 2008-11-01 | 2021-12-23 |
| WAKEFORD, Rosalie Coral | Director | 2018-10-21 | 2021-12-23 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Direct Tool Trust | Corporate entity | Voting 75–100% | 2023-09-21 | Active |
| Flexford Holdings Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2018-01-30 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 80 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-23 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-01-08 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-10-31 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-10-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-11-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-09-23 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type total exemption full | |
| 2023-11-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-09-28 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type total exemption full | |
| 2023-09-27 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2023-09-21 | PSC09 | persons-with-significant-control | Withdrawal of a person with significant control statement | |
| 2022-10-26 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2022-09-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type total exemption full | |
| 2022-02-28 | AA01 | accounts | Change account reference date company previous shortened | |
| 2022-01-28 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type total exemption full | |
| 2021-12-23 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2021-12-23 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2021-12-23 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2021-12-23 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2021-12-23 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2021-12-23 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- 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.