WATER BABIES GROUP LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-07-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-07-09 (in 2mo)
Last made up 2025-06-25
Watchouts
Cash
£2M
-49% vs 2023
Net assets
£2M
-10% lowest in 4 filed years
Employees
80
+3.9% highest in 4 filed years
Profit before tax
£1M
+535% vs 2023
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
1 PSC ceased in last 24 months
Significant control changed hands — see the Ownership section.
Net assets
5-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
5-year trend · latest reflected 2024-07-31
| Metric | Trend | 2018-08-01 | 2019-07-31 | 2020-07-31 | 2023-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | — | — | £7,374,000 | £10,207,000 | |
| Operating profit | — | — | — | -£199,000 | £1,122,000 | |
| Profit before tax | — | — | — | -£280,000 | £1,218,000 | |
| Net profit | — | -£2,000 | £2,000 | -£463,000 | £61,000 | |
| Cash | — | £488,000 | £272,000 | £3,204,000 | £1,634,000 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | — | £4,877,000 | £4,348,000 | £4,010,000 | £2,249,000 | |
| Net assets | — | £4,387,000 | £4,348,000 | £2,270,000 | £2,042,000 | |
| Equity | £4,389,000 | £4,387,000 | £4,348,000 | £2,270,000 | £2,042,000 | |
| Average employees | — | 5 | 5 | 77 | 80 | |
| Wages | — | — | — | £2,613,000 | £2,580,000 | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — | — | £627,000 | £791,000 |
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 2024-07-31 vs 2023-07-31
-
Turnover
+38.4%
£7,374,000 £10,207,000
-
Cash
-49%
£3,204,000 £1,634,000
-
Net assets
-10%
£2,270,000 £2,042,000
lowest in 4 filed years
-
Employees
+3.9%
77 80
highest in 4 filed years
-
Operating profit
+663.8%
-£199,000 £1,122,000
-
Profit before tax
+535%
-£280,000 £1,218,000
-
Wages
-1.3%
£2,613,000 £2,580,000
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 | 2018-08-01 | 2019-07-31 | 2020-07-31 | 2023-07-31 | 2024-07-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | — | — | -2.7% | 11.0% | |
| Net margin | — | — | — | -6.3% | 0.6% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | — | — | -5.0% | 49.9% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | — | — | — | 69.0% | 62.6% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | 1.32x | 0.99x | |
| Interest cover | — | — | — | -2.34x | 11.45x |
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
- WATER BABIES GROUP LIMITED 2019-09-30 → present
- WATER BABIES BUBBLE LIMITED 2015-07-10 → 2019-09-30
- WATER BABIES HOLDINGS LIMITED 2014-06-27 → 2015-07-10
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- IFRS
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Hays Mac LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“At the time of approving the financial statements the directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.”
Group structure
- WATER BABIES GROUP LIMITED · parent
- WBX Limited 100%
- Water Babies Limited^ 100%
- Water Babies International Limited^ 100%
- Water Babies COT Limited^ 100%
- Water Babies Properties Limited 100%
- WaterBumps Limited 100%
- Water Babies Germany GmbH 100%
- Aqua Babies Fitness Service (Tianjin) Co. 51%
- Water Babies USA LLC 100%
Significant events
- “During the financial year, the group divested of its operations in Canada and chose to cease operations in Germany.”
- “Effective from 25 October 2025 Water Babies Group Limited was acquired by Elmsley Capital & Westerly Group. Water Babies Group Limited is now solely owned by Water Babies Bidco Limited of which is solely owned by Water Babies Topco Limited which is 100% owned by Water Babies Holdings Inc, a company registered in the USA.”
- “On 12 October 2023, the CIC was converted into a charity and is no longer a subsidiary of the group.”
- “Both facilities [bank loan and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan] were repaid in October 2025 following the change in ownership of the group (See Note 30).”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 10 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRIMES, Peter Andrew | Secretary | 2020-07-01 | — | — |
| BURKE, Brian Patrick | Director | 2025-12-31 | Jun 1987 | American |
| GRIMES, Peter Andrew | Director | 2019-09-20 | Feb 1968 | British |
Show 10 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOORHOUSE, Robert Keith | Secretary | 2018-11-01 | 2019-07-31 |
| WESTON, Joanne Marie | Secretary | 2014-06-27 | 2018-11-01 |
| HAMMETT ASSOCIATES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2019-07-31 | 2020-07-01 |
| FRANKS, Steven Christopher | Director | 2014-06-27 | 2020-04-30 |
| FRENCH, James | Director | 2015-04-14 | 2018-10-31 |
| HARRISON, Howard Mark | Director | 2021-08-17 | 2025-12-31 |
| HOWORTH, Zoe Louise | Director | 2018-11-01 | 2024-10-25 |
| POCOCK, Robert David | Director | 2015-04-14 | 2024-10-25 |
| THOMPSON, Lennox Ector Paul | Director | 2014-06-27 | 2024-10-25 |
| TRACEY, Peter James | Director | 2017-09-01 | 2024-10-25 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Babies Bidco Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2024-10-25 | Active |
| Mr Lennox Ector Paul Thompson | Individual | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2024-10-25 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 96 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2025-01-28 MA Memorandum articles
- 2025-01-28 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-10 | PSC05 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2026-01-19 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-01-11 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-07-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-04-25 | AA01 | accounts | Change account reference date company current extended | |
| 2025-04-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-01-28 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2025-01-28 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-01-28 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-01-27 | AA01 | accounts | Change account reference date company previous shortened | |
| 2024-11-24 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-11-24 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-11-24 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-11-11 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-10 | SH10 | capital | Capital variation of rights attached to shares | |
| 2024-11-09 | SH08 | capital | Capital name of class of shares | |
| 2024-11-08 | AA01 | accounts | Change account reference date company current extended | |
| 2024-11-08 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-02 | SH08 | capital | Capital name of class of shares | |
| 2024-11-01 | SH10 | capital | Capital variation of rights attached to shares |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 4
- 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.