THE BOOK SERVICE LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2027-02-03 (in 9mo)
Last made up 2026-01-20
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£745K
-88.8% vs 2023
Net assets
-£19M
+13.9% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
0
-100% lowest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£4M
+453.9% highest in 3 filed years
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- THE BOOK SERVICE LIMITED 1997-03-10 → present
- TIPTREE BOOK SERVICES LIMITED 1948-04-26 → 1997-03-10
Net assets
5-year trend · vs Industrials median
Accounts
5-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2022-01-01 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-01-01 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | £46,209,382 | — | £46,468,918 | £42,610,130 | |
| Operating profit | — | -£2,133,974 | — | -£6,466,821 | -£3,751,316 | |
| Profit before tax | — | -£1,056,315 | — | -£1,175,462 | £4,159,731 | |
| Net profit | — | -£805,324 | — | -£1,007,938 | £3,119,893 | |
| Cash | — | £128,488 | — | £6,635,440 | £745,060 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | — | -£21,328,707 | — | -£22,019,616 | -£18,244,930 | |
| Net assets | — | — | — | -£22,451,537 | -£19,331,644 | |
| Equity | -£20,638,275 | -£21,443,599 | -£21,443,599 | -£22,451,537 | -£19,331,644 | |
| Average employees | — | 541 | — | 525 | 0 | |
| Wages | — | £14,154,338 | — | £15,300,871 | £15,490,064 |
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 | 2022-01-01 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-01-01 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | -4.6% | — | -13.9% | -8.8% | |
| Net margin | — | -1.7% | — | -2.2% | 7.3% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | 10.0% | — | 29.4% | 20.6% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | 0.93x | 0.94x | |
| Interest cover | — | -292.21x | — | -1962.02x | -385.66x |
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
- Grant Thornton UK LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Based on the Company's current trading performance, the sensitivity and reverse stress testing scenarios performed, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, being a period of no less than twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements.”
Significant events
- “loss of revenue from third party clients who have left during 2024. This follows the announced exit from our third-party distribution business which will be concluded in 2025.”
- “Changes to our Frating facility made in the second quarter of 2023 (expansion and consolidation of stock on a single site) have continued to enable process improvements to be realised which impact positively on stock availability for customers and a reduction in internal shortages.”
- “Following a strategic review, in January 2023 the Company announced a proposal to withdraw from the provision of distribution services to third party clients from its Grantham site in the second half of 2025 along with the closure of the Grantham site.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 16 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARTIN, Sinead Mary | Secretary | 2016-06-30 | — | — |
| GARDINER, Mark William | Director | 2000-07-03 | Apr 1961 | British |
| WELDON, Thomas Daryl | Director | 2014-10-20 | Aug 1963 | British |
Show 16 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEACOCK, Helena Caroline | Secretary | 2014-10-20 | 2016-06-30 |
| SMITH, Roger Ling | Secretary | — | 2014-10-20 |
| BINGLEY, Alan Bradley | Director | — | 1993-11-01 |
| BOWRON, Peter David | Director | 2008-10-31 | 2009-01-17 |
| DAVIES, Brian John | Director | 2009-01-19 | 2015-09-30 |
| FARNELL, Ian | Director | — | 2001-12-31 |
| FURNISH, John | Director | — | 1994-05-24 |
| HUDSON, Ian Michael | Director | 1998-05-13 | 2008-10-31 |
| JOHNSON, Maralyn | Director | 1991-12-13 | 2001-12-31 |
| LLEWELLYN, Brian Hugh | Director | — | 1993-01-29 |
| LLEWELLYN, Kelvin John | Director | — | 1994-05-24 |
| MCCONNELL, Anthony Sudlow | Director | 1992-12-07 | 2001-06-29 |
| MOTTRAM, John Michael | Director | — | 1993-07-09 |
| PEMBERTON, David Charles | Director | 1994-02-01 | 1999-05-07 |
| ROBERTSON, Antony Brian | Director | 1991-12-12 | 1993-07-09 |
| ROCHE, Peter Charles Kenneth | Director | — | 1991-12-31 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Random House Group Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 142 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-25 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-09-18 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-01-20 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-10-25 | AAMD | accounts | Accounts amended with accounts type full | |
| 2024-09-24 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-01-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-09-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-01-23 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-01-25 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-12-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-02-10 | AUD | auditors | Auditors resignation company | |
| 2021-01-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2020-11-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-01-20 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2019-09-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2019-06-11 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2018-10-03 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2018-06-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2017-10-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 2
- 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.
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-12-31 vs 2023-12-31
-
Turnover
-8.3%
£46,468,918 £42,610,130
lowest in 3 filed years
-
Cash
-88.8%
£6,635,440 £745,060
-
Net assets
+13.9%
-£22,451,537 -£19,331,644
-
Employees
-100%
525 0
lowest in 3 filed years
-
Operating profit
+42%
-£6,466,821 -£3,751,316
-
Profit before tax
+453.9%
-£1,175,462 £4,159,731
highest in 3 filed years
-
Wages
+1.2%
£15,300,871 £15,490,064
highest in 3 filed years
Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. Periods don't have to be exactly 12 months apart — a long or short period (typical around incorporation or year-end changes) will distort the comparison. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers