FORD RETAIL LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-10-11 (in 5mo)
Last made up 2025-09-27
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£132M
+7.7% vs 2023
Employees
2,818
+4.1% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£17M
+12.3% vs 2023
Name history
Renamed 3 times since incorporation
- FORD RETAIL LIMITED 2007-01-02 → present
- POLAR MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED 1995-12-31 → 2007-01-02
- POLAR MOTOR COMPANY (YORK) LIMITED 1978-12-31 → 1995-12-31
- UNWINS (YORK) LIMITED 1923-07-27 → 1978-12-31
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £1,880,408,000 | £2,158,450,000 | |
| Operating profit | £26,158,000 | £29,980,000 | |
| Profit before tax | £15,106,000 | £16,970,000 | |
| Net profit | £11,647,000 | £12,890,000 | |
| Cash | £3,000 | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £203,196,000 | £212,105,000 | |
| Net assets | £122,618,000 | £132,014,000 | |
| Equity | £122,618,000 | £132,014,000 | |
| Average employees | 2,706 | 2,818 | |
| Wages | £96,331,000 | £104,473,000 |
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
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 1.4% | 1.4% | |
| Net margin | 0.6% | 0.6% | |
| Return on capital employed | 12.9% | 14.1% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 87.1% | 88.4% | |
| Current ratio | 1.11x | 1.10x | |
| Interest cover | 2.37x | 2.30x |
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 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The directors consider, after making appropriate enquiries that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.”
Significant events
- “The Cobham business was closed on 30 April 2025, Trowbridge purchased on 11 July 2025 and Gillingham freehold property is planned for sale in December 2025.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 37 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANSOME, Mary Lucy | Secretary | 2015-05-26 | — | — |
| DARNELL, Michael Peter | Director | 2026-05-01 | Feb 1975 | British |
| MUSTOE, Stuart David | Director | 2013-01-01 | Aug 1976 | British |
| WILLIAMS, Jonathan Paul | Director | 2023-03-29 | Mar 1967 | British |
Show 37 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| DARNELL, Michael Peter | Secretary | 2016-07-26 | 2026-04-30 |
| HUGHES, Graham Paul | Secretary | 2004-04-30 | 2009-06-17 |
| MACK, Lewis Bernard | Secretary | — | 1995-01-31 |
| PAGE, Clive Charles | Secretary | 2004-04-30 | 2015-05-26 |
| MATHESON & CO LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 1995-01-31 | 2004-04-30 |
| BEYNON, Peter | Director | 1999-02-08 | 1999-12-31 |
| BEYNON, Peter | Director | 1998-06-12 | 1998-11-16 |
| BRADLEY, Eamon | Director | 2001-02-01 | 2004-04-30 |
| BROWN, Angus Lushington Wylie | Director | 2004-12-21 | 2011-12-31 |
| BURGESS, Christopher Martin | Director | — | 1995-01-27 |
| CHECKLEY, Kenneth | Director | 2000-04-18 | 2004-08-27 |
| COWPER, John Bernard | Director | 1998-11-16 | 2000-04-17 |
| CRAMTON, Kevin | Director | 2000-02-18 | 2002-06-09 |
| FOULDS, Stuart Edgar | Director | 2017-09-18 | 2022-02-11 |
| GEIGER, Gregory | Director | 1999-02-08 | 2000-02-17 |
| GLANVILLE, Shaun | Director | 2019-09-26 | 2026-04-30 |
| HAYDEN, Christopher William Roberts | Director | 2001-01-19 | 2011-06-30 |
| HOOD, Stephen Glenn | Director | 2015-01-27 | 2017-09-18 |
| HOUSTON, Samuel George | Director | 2001-06-30 | 2004-04-30 |
| JACKSON, Eric | Director | — | 1995-01-27 |
| JASON, Nicholas John | Director | 2017-09-18 | 2019-09-26 |
| JONES, Alun Morton | Director | 1998-11-16 | 2004-04-30 |
| JUDGE, Bernard Francis Thomas | Director | 1999-02-08 | 2001-01-19 |
| KERR, Stuart Donald | Director | 2012-02-01 | 2015-01-01 |
| MACK, Lewis Bernard | Director | — | 1995-09-20 |
| MACNIVEN, Paul Alexander | Director | 2013-07-25 | 2016-10-31 |
| MACNIVEN, Paul Alexander | Director | 2002-06-10 | 2004-04-30 |
| MYERS, Bryan David | Director | 2004-04-30 | 2013-01-31 |
| PARKER, Nigel Martin | Director | 2004-12-21 | 2006-02-03 |
| POTTS, Derek | Director | 2000-01-01 | 2001-06-29 |
| POTTS, Derek | Director | 1995-01-27 | 1997-01-31 |
| RITCHIE, John Muir | Director | 1999-02-08 | 2000-10-31 |
| RITCHIE, John Muir | Director | 1995-01-27 | 1998-11-16 |
| THORLEY, David Ian | Director | 2006-04-06 | 2007-08-05 |
| WATKINS, Terry Christopher | Director | — | 1995-09-20 |
| WILLIAMS, Steven Wyn | Director | 2007-11-16 | 2013-12-31 |
| WITT, John Raymond | Director | 1997-02-01 | 1998-06-12 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Retail Group Ltd | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 262 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-11 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2026-05-11 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-05-11 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-10-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-08-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-10-01 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-08-22 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-10-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-08-14 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-05-23 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2022-10-10 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-08-09 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-02-15 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2021-11-16 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2021-10-07 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-06-25 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-10-05 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2020-09-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2019-10-07 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2019-10-07 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 5
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 1
- 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.
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-12-31 vs 2023-12-31
-
Turnover
+14.8%
£1,880,408,000 £2,158,450,000
-
Cash
—
Not reported
-
Net assets
+7.7%
£122,618,000 £132,014,000
-
Employees
+4.1%
2,706 2,818
-
Operating profit
+14.6%
£26,158,000 £29,980,000
-
Profit before tax
+12.3%
£15,106,000 £16,970,000
-
Wages
+8.5%
£96,331,000 £104,473,000
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