JAMES FINLAY LIMITED
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Cash
£17m
USD 23,126,000
-11.1% vs 2024
Net assets
£284m
USD 382,760,000
-2.8% lowest in 3 filed years
Employees
77
+10% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
-£3m
USD -4,062,000
-129.6% lowest in 3 filed years
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
Material uncertainty over going concern
The directors of the Company have received written confirmation from the Company's ultimate parent undertaking, John Swire & Sons Limited, that it will continue to provide financial support as required, to enable the Company to meet its future financial obligations, including for at least the 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements.
-
Going-concern uncertainty disclosed
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Staples median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £270,531 | £326,273 | £356,745 | +9.3% | |
| Operating profit | -£3,528,800 | -£7,529,543 | -£16,888,889 | -124.3% | |
| Profit before tax | £15,626,904 | £10,201,412 | -£3,018,952 | -129.6% | |
| Net profit | £15,062,802 | £8,645,113 | -£3,778,521 | -143.7% | |
| Cash | £15,541,434 | £19,332,590 | £17,187,663 | -11.1% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £325,434,411 | £317,655,147 | £402,458,566 | +26.7% | |
| Net assets | £286,122,631 | £292,704,571 | £284,474,173 | -2.8% | |
| Equity | £286,122,631 | £292,704,571 | £284,474,173 | -2.8% | |
| Average employees | 66 | 70 | 77 | +10% | |
| Wages | £8,532,887 | £8,329,989 | £10,244,519 | +23% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £1,659,606 | £2,458,566 | £2,921,590 | +18.8% |
Figures converted to GBP from USD at 0.743 per USD (Frankfurter spot rate) — hover any figure for the original. — 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 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | -1.1% | -2.4% | -4.2% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 14.8% | 10.2% | — | |
| Current ratio | 23.15x | 27.94x | 25.06x | |
| Interest cover | -1.34x | -3.48x | -6.66x |
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. Margin ratios are hidden where reported turnover is too small relative to profit to yield a meaningful figure — typical of holding companies whose income is mostly subsidiary dividends rather than trading revenue. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton UK LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Material uncertainty disclosed
“The directors of the Company have received written confirmation from the Company's ultimate parent undertaking, John Swire & Sons Limited, that it will continue to provide financial support as required, to enable the Company to meet its future financial obligations, including for at least the 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements.”
Group structure
- JAMES FINLAY LIMITED · parent
- Finlay Extracts & Ingredients UK Limited 100%
- Finlay Tea Solutions UK Limited 100%
- James Finlay International Holdings Limited 100%
- James Finlay Corporation Limited 100%
- James Finlay International (UK) Limited 100%
- Finlay Beverages Limited 100%
- Finlay Tea Extracts (Kenya) Limited 100%
- FTEK PROPCO (KENYA) Limited 100%
- Finlay Coffee Limited 100%
- Finlay Hull Limited 100%
- Argente SA 100%
- Case Fuentes SACIFI 100%
- Damin International Holdings Limited 49.51%
- Finlay Tea Solutions (Hong Kong) Limited 100%
- James Finlay Mombasa Limited 100%
- James Finlay (Blantyre) Limited 100%
- Finlay Extracts & Ingredients Holland B.V. 100%
- James Finlay Tea Trading Lanka (Pvt) Ltd 100%
- Finlay Airline Agencies (Pvt) Limited 99.82%
- Finlay Instant Teas (Pvt) Limited 100%
- Finlay Plantation Management (Pvt) Limited 99.82%
- Finlays Tea Estates Lanka (Pvt) Ltd 100%
- Finlays Colombo Limited 99.82%
- Finlay Properties (Pvt) Limited 99.82%
- Finlay Teas (Pvt) Limited 99.82%
- Finlay Tea Solutions Colombo (Pvt) limited 99.82%
- James Finlay Plantation Holdings (Lanka) Limited 100%
- James Finlay (ME) DMCC 100%
- Finlay Solutions, Inc (Formerly Institutional Foods Packing Co)
- TJL Foodservice Holdings, Inc
- WM.H. Leahy Associates, Inc
- NLX Beverages Soultions, LLC
- Continuum Packing Solutions, LLC
- Finlay Extracts & Ingredients USA Inc 100%
- James Finlay International Inc 100%
- Finlays Leaf Supply USA, Inc. 100%
Significant events
- “During the year, the Company has dissolved its subsidiary James Finlay Corporation Limited on 5 August 2025.”
- “Subsequent to the balance sheet date of 31 December 2025, the Company completed the full settlement and winding-up of its defined benefit pension scheme (the "Scheme") through the purchase of bulk annuity contracts with an insurance company.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 49 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MORRIS, David Charles | Secretary | 2018-10-03 | — | — |
| DE GENTILE-WILLIAMS, Philippe Anthony Wynne | Director | 2016-09-01 | May 1964 | British |
| MASON, Jennifer Aspen | Director | 2024-08-21 | Jun 1969 | American,British |
| PELLING, Sean Colin | Director | 2024-08-21 | Sep 1974 | British |
| RUTHERFORD, Julian Michael | Director | 2013-02-01 | Mar 1971 | British |
| WOODROW, James Hugh, Mr. | Director | 2022-09-05 | May 1967 | British |
Show 49 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIBBEN, Ann Marie | Secretary | 2016-08-23 | 2018-07-13 |
| GILMOUR, Duncan James | Secretary | 1996-12-01 | 2016-06-30 |
| MCCRACKEN, Robert White | Secretary | — | 1996-11-30 |
| MORRIS, David Charles | Secretary | 2016-07-01 | 2016-08-23 |
| AFXENTIOU, Andreas Costa | Director | — | 1995-06-28 |
| BLACKBURN, Timothy Joseph | Director | 2007-01-01 | 2009-08-10 |
| CAMPBELL, Colin Moffat, Sir | Director | — | 1992-06-25 |
| CAPPER, Richard Gerald | Director | — | 1995-11-24 |
| CHAMBERS, Guy Rufus | Director | 2015-09-14 | 2022-06-03 |
| CUBBON, Martin | Director | 2018-07-02 | 2024-04-10 |
| CUBBON, Martin | Director | 2018-06-29 | 2018-06-29 |
| DAVIES, Julian | Director | 2014-12-09 | 2019-02-01 |
| DAVIES, Neville Vincent | Director | 2008-04-04 | 2011-07-01 |
| EYTON, William Byran, Dr | Director | 1996-04-01 | 2002-12-31 |
| FERGUSON, Michael Stuart | Director | 1999-01-01 | 2006-06-30 |
| FORSYTH, David William | Director | 1992-01-01 | 1995-08-31 |
| FORTMANN, Kathy | Director | 2019-12-03 | 2021-09-15 |
| FRASER, Robert | Director | 1990-02-01 | 1992-12-10 |
| GILMOUR, Duncan James | Director | 2005-04-01 | 2014-12-09 |
| HENSON, Paul Robert | Director | 2007-01-22 | 2013-02-01 |
| HILL, Simon George | Director | 2001-01-15 | 2001-09-30 |
| HOGG, Rupert Bruce Grantham Trower | Director | 2002-01-01 | 2008-09-22 |
| HUDSON, Martin John | Director | 2008-01-01 | 2015-11-23 |
| HUGHES-HALLETT, James Edward | Director | 2012-04-20 | 2018-07-02 |
| HUGHES-HALLETT, James Wyndham John | Director | 2005-09-01 | 2013-12-13 |
| INGLEBY, John Mungo | Director | — | 1994-10-14 |
| JOHANSENS, Peter Andre | Director | 2000-09-29 | 2008-12-31 |
| JOHNSTON, David James, Dr | Director | 2015-07-09 | 2019-07-31 |
| KUEHNE, Christiane | Director | 2015-12-17 | 2026-03-10 |
| LAMOND, William | Director | — | 1991-07-26 |
| LARGE, Simon Richard St John | Director | 2004-07-05 | 2009-08-14 |
| LOCKETT, Patrick Gordon | Director | 1995-09-01 | 2006-12-31 |
| MATHISON, Ronald James | Director | 2008-09-22 | 2015-09-14 |
| MCCALLUM, Andrew Graham Stewart | Director | — | 1991-07-26 |
| MUIR, Richard James Kay | Director | — | 2001-03-31 |
| MURRAY, John | Director | — | 1991-07-26 |
| RANKIN, Alick Michael, Sir | Director | 1994-05-12 | 1999-08-03 |
| REES, Peter Wynford Innes, Lord | Director | — | 1992-06-25 |
| SCOTT, Edward John Rankin | Director | 1991-08-01 | 2002-01-29 |
| STEPHENS, Stuart Robert | Director | — | 1991-07-26 |
| STONE-WIGG, Robert Lindsay | Director | 1990-09-01 | 1997-03-31 |
| STRATHDEE, Stuart | Director | 2000-03-01 | 2025-12-02 |
| SWIRE, Glen Douglas William | Director | 1992-06-26 | 1998-12-31 |
| SWIRE, John Anthony, Sir | Director | — | 1992-06-25 |
| SWIRE, Merlin Bingham | Director | 2008-10-17 | 2017-03-01 |
| TODHUNTER, Michael John Benjamin | Director | 2000-05-26 | 2009-04-03 |
| WEAVER, Christopher Giles Herron | Director | 1996-04-29 | 2015-07-09 |
| WEMYSS, Isabella Alethea | Director | 2002-10-22 | 2015-07-13 |
| WOOLF, Benjamin | Director | 2023-04-13 | 2025-07-11 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Swire & Sons Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2022-12-20 | Active |
| Finlay Group Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2022-12-20 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 744 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-07-20 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-07-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-03-18 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-03-09 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-12-16 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-12-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-10-01 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2025-07-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-07-11 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-03-10 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-09-02 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-09-02 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-06-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-04-10 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-03-01 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-07-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-04-21 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-03-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-01-12 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 8
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 2
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.