COLUMBUS TOPCO LIMITED
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Cash
£1.7M
+171% vs 2023
Net assets
-£25M
-6.4% vs 2023
Employees
3,278
+1.4% vs 2023
Profit before tax
-£1.4M
+56.1% vs 2023
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
Negative shareholders' funds
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
2-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £37,661,000 | £42,093,000 | +11.8% | |
| Operating profit | -£606,000 | £1,434,000 | +336.6% | |
| Profit before tax | -£3,160,000 | -£1,388,000 | +56.1% | |
| Net profit | -£2,749,000 | -£1,528,000 | +44.4% | |
| Cash | £644,000 | £1,745,000 | +171% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £6,675,000 | -£2,779,000 | -141.6% | |
| Net assets | -£23,812,000 | -£25,341,000 | -6.4% | |
| Equity | -£23,812,000 | -£25,341,000 | -6.4% | |
| Average employees | 3,234 | 3,278 | +1.4% | |
| Wages | £22,182,000 | £24,566,000 | +10.7% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £904,000 | £1,095,000 | +21.1% |
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 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | -1.6% | 3.4% | |
| Net margin | -7.3% | -3.6% | |
| Return on capital employed | -9.1% | — | |
| Current ratio | 0.59x | 0.29x | |
| Interest cover | -0.24x | 0.50x |
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.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Crowe U.K. LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“We draw attention to the group's existing shareholder loan notes of £16.5m that at the balance sheet date of 31 December 2024, had redemption dates of October 2026 and the group's bank facility agreement of £11m which had an original termination date of September 2025. Since the year end, the group has successfully refinanced and extended these facilities, with the bank facility now extended to December 2028, and the shareholder loan notes extended to October 2029. As a result, the directors have additional confidence in the group's ability to continue as a going concern. Accordingly, there is no material uncertainty relating to going concern, and no adjustments have been made to the financial statements in this regard.”
Group structure
- COLUMBUS TOPCO LIMITED · parent
- Columbus Midco Limited 100%
- Columbus Bidco Limited 100%
- Explore Learning Limited 100%
- Explore Horizons Incorporated 100%
Significant events
- “Subsequent to the balance sheet date, on 28th March 2025, the company renewed its existing bank facilities, which were due to expire on 30th September 2025. The renewal includes a continuation of the credit line at £9.7 million, split into Facility A for £1.425m, Facility B for £6.825m and a Capex Facility for £1.450m, with initial margin rates of 3.50 per cent, 4.00 per cent and 3.50 per cent per annum respectively. The loans also remain subject to a SONIA plus interest charge. Facility A terminates on 7 October 2027, Facility B terminates on 29 December 2028 and the Capex Facility terminates on 7 July 2027. Repayments with respect to the renewed facility are due £350,000 in 2025, £1.05m in 2026 with the remainder due after 2026. The security on the facility is unchanged.”
- “In addition to the bank facility renewal, the redemption date of the £21.77m of unsecured loan notes has been extended to 31 October 2029.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
7 active · 10 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TITCOMB, Paul Andrew | Secretary | 2025-07-29 | — | — |
| CANDOLFI, Yaelle | Director | 2024-06-13 | Jan 1979 | Swiss |
| HAYCOX, Lisa Marie | Director | 2016-01-26 | Apr 1981 | British |
| KELLY, David Thomas | Director | 2021-07-19 | Sep 1963 | British,Irish |
| LIGHT, Craig Jonathan | Director | 2014-04-01 | Jun 1979 | British |
| MILLS, William Stabb | Director | 2012-08-15 | Oct 1966 | British |
| REYNOLDS, Richard Zak | Director | 2023-03-29 | Oct 1988 | British |
Show 10 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUSTIN, Toby Warwick | Secretary | 2019-07-24 | 2025-07-29 |
| COTTERILL, Susan | Secretary | 2014-01-17 | 2015-12-31 |
| EVERARD, Lucy Jane | Secretary | 2017-10-13 | 2019-07-24 |
| GILES, Simon Kenneth | Secretary | 2012-08-22 | 2014-01-17 |
| OSBORN, Matthew John | Secretary | 2016-01-01 | 2017-07-27 |
| RICHARDS, Hayleigh Claire | Secretary | 2017-07-27 | 2017-10-13 |
| GILES, Simon Kenneth | Director | 2012-08-15 | 2014-01-17 |
| HICKS, Robert Cerdic William | Director | 2012-08-15 | 2017-12-31 |
| KELSEY, Alan | Director | 2013-09-24 | 2020-12-31 |
| SCOTT, Catriona Jane | Director | 2018-07-01 | 2023-08-03 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr William Stabb Mills | Individual | Significant influence | 2016-04-06 | Active |
| Graphite Capital General Partner Vii Llp | Corporate entity | Shares 50–75%, Voting 50–75%, Appoints directors, Significant influence | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 100 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2025-09-22 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2025-09-22 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-03 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-09-22 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-09-22 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2025-09-12 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2025-08-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-08-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-08-06 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2025-08-06 | AP03 | officers | Appoint person secretary company with name date | |
| 2025-04-07 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-08-20 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-06-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-06-20 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-06-20 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-06-20 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-06-20 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-06-20 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-08-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-08-21 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-07-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-04-06 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name 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.