SHEPHERD AND WOODWARD LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-10-31 (in 5mo)
Last filed for 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement due
2027-02-12 (in 9mo)
Last made up 2026-01-29
Watchouts
Cash
£2M
+24.1% highest in 4 filed years
Net assets
£8M
+3.8% highest in 4 filed years
Employees
52
+2% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£803K
+24.1% vs 2024
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 2025-01-31
| Metric | Trend | 2020-01-31 | 2021-01-31 | 2022-01-31 | 2024-01-31 | 2025-01-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | — | — | £4,241,922 | £4,282,582 | |
| Operating profit | — | — | — | £622,923 | £759,385 | |
| Profit before tax | — | — | — | £646,874 | £802,594 | |
| Net profit | — | -£88,392 | £359,158 | £373,103 | £569,561 | |
| Cash | — | £654,274 | £1,465,495 | £1,510,156 | £1,874,066 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | — | £8,083,985 | £8,335,976 | £8,286,390 | £8,562,951 | |
| Net assets | — | £7,000,985 | £7,360,143 | £7,377,390 | £7,659,951 | |
| Equity | £7,089,377 | £7,000,985 | £7,360,143 | £7,377,390 | £7,659,951 | |
| Average employees | — | — | — | 51 | 52 | |
| Wages | — | — | — | £1,281,707 | £1,256,168 |
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 | 2020-01-31 | 2021-01-31 | 2022-01-31 | 2024-01-31 | 2025-01-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | — | — | 14.7% | 17.7% | |
| Net margin | — | — | — | 8.8% | 13.3% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | — | — | 7.5% | 8.9% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | — | — | — | 18.1% | 18.2% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | 5.22x | 5.03x | |
| Interest cover | — | — | — | 5932.60x | 7232.24x |
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
- Wenn Townsend
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the director's use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the original financial statements were authorised for issue.”
Group structure
- SHEPHERD AND WOODWARD LIMITED · parent
- Walters & Co. (Oxford) Limited 100%
- Castell & Son (Oxford) Limited 100%
Significant events
- “The return of the Trump administration at the end of the year (January 2025) means we will expect to see some changes with export tariffs.”
- “Global instability continues with the ongoing situation in Ukraine and Gaza. President Trumps administration could affect sales due to trade tariffs going forward.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 7 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PALFREYMAN, Tracey | Director | 2021-01-17 | Apr 1966 | British |
| VAN ONSELEN, Julie | Director | 2021-01-17 | Jan 1963 | British |
| VENABLES, Lisa | Director | 2021-01-17 | Mar 1970 | British |
| VENABLES, Lucy Mary | Director | 2021-01-17 | Jun 1969 | British |
| VENABLES, Peter Turrill | Director | — | Mar 1940 | British |
| VENABLES, Richard David | Director | 2021-01-17 | Apr 1967 | British |
Show 7 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRABTREE, Michael Ronald | Secretary | 1999-05-01 | 2021-01-31 |
| VENABLES, Peter Turrill | Secretary | — | 1999-05-01 |
| GRIFFITHS, Danny | Director | — | 1999-05-01 |
| LAWES, George Robert | Director | — | 1999-05-01 |
| PALFREYMAN, Adrian Jonathan | Director | 1999-05-01 | 2020-07-31 |
| PLOWMAN, John Eric Duncan | Director | — | 1996-01-31 |
| VENABLES, John Richard | Director | — | 2021-10-30 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd And Woodward Holdings Ltd | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2025-02-27 | Active |
| Mr Peter Turrill Venables | Individual | Shares 25–50%, ownership-of-shares-25-to-50-percent-as-firm | 2017-01-31 | Ceased 2025-02-27 |
| Mr John Richard Venables | Individual | Shares 25–50%, Voting 25–50% | 2017-01-31 | Ceased 2021-10-30 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 122 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2026-02-12 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-02-12 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-01-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2026-01-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-11-03 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-04-24 | SH06 | capital | Capital cancellation shares | |
| 2025-04-03 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2025-03-18 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2025-03-18 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2025-03-18 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares | |
| 2025-02-18 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-11-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-02-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-10-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-02-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2022-02-09 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2022-02-01 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2021-11-12 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 6
- Capital events
- 5
- 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
FY2024 → FY2025 · period ending 2025-01-31 vs 2024-01-31
-
Turnover
+1%
£4,241,922 £4,282,582
-
Cash
+24.1%
£1,510,156 £1,874,066
highest in 4 filed years
-
Net assets
+3.8%
£7,377,390 £7,659,951
highest in 4 filed years
-
Employees
+2%
51 52
-
Operating profit
+21.9%
£622,923 £759,385
-
Profit before tax
+24.1%
£646,874 £802,594
-
Wages
-2%
£1,281,707 £1,256,168
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