H.W. COATES LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-12-14 (in 7mo)
Last made up 2025-11-30
Watchouts
Cash
£9M
-31.3% vs 2023
Net assets
£221M
+10.7% vs 2023
Employees
355
-2.2% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£30M
+15.5% vs 2023
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
2 PSCs ceased in last 24 months
Significant control changed hands — see the Ownership section.
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- H.W. COATES LIMITED 1991-12-06 → present
- COATES SERVICES LIMITED 1981-06-25 → 1991-12-06
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Industrials median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £71,369,803 | £71,777,625 | |
| Operating profit | £23,947,427 | £23,727,657 | |
| Profit before tax | £26,184,838 | £30,237,013 | |
| Net profit | £20,184,997 | £24,065,910 | |
| Cash | £12,982,251 | £8,918,564 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £188,595,902 | £206,715,478 | |
| Net assets | £199,570,205 | £220,904,365 | |
| Equity | £199,570,205 | £220,904,365 | |
| Average employees | 363 | 355 | |
| Wages | £15,119,736 | £15,185,817 |
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 | 33.6% | 33.1% | |
| Net margin | 28.3% | 33.5% | |
| Return on capital employed | 12.7% | 11.5% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | -1.6% | -3.5% | |
| Current ratio | 7.95x | 9.40x | |
| Interest cover | 2827.66x | — |
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 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- MHA
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' 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 Company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.”
Group structure
- H.W. COATES LIMITED · parent
- The Hazchem Network Limited 86.42%
- Abacus Transport Limited 100%
- Rase Distribution Limited 100%
- DACS Document Storage Limited 100%
- DACS Office Solutions Limited 100%
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
7 active · 5 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MORRIS, Rachael | Secretary | 2012-12-31 | — | — |
| BALL, George William | Director | 2010-08-19 | May 1950 | British |
| COATES, Matthew | Director | 2013-03-21 | Sep 1982 | British |
| COATES, Thomas Henry | Director | 2007-07-31 | Oct 1970 | British |
| MORRIS, Rachael Louise | Director | 2016-10-06 | Nov 1976 | British |
| PERRY, Richard David | Director | 2012-03-16 | Mar 1972 | British |
| SANGER, Pamela Yvonne | Director | 2025-10-20 | Oct 1973 | British |
Show 5 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| COATES, Pat | Secretary | — | 2012-12-31 |
| COATES, Gerald George | Director | — | 2025-10-20 |
| COATES, Henry William | Director | — | 1998-04-07 |
| COATES, Margaret Alice | Director | — | 2011-03-02 |
| COATES, Michael Henry Arnold | Director | — | 2023-05-05 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H.W. Coates (Holdings) Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2024-06-07 | Active |
| Mr Michael Henry Arnold Coates | Individual | ownership-of-shares-25-to-50-percent-as-trust | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2024-06-07 |
| Mr Gerald George Coates | Individual | ownership-of-shares-25-to-50-percent-as-trust | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2024-06-07 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 134 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-10-20 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-10-20 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-05-12 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-12-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-06-21 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-06-07 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-06-07 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-06-07 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2023-12-05 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-12-05 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2023-05-26 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-05-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-11-30 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-05-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-12-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-06-14 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-12-01 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2020-06-22 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2019-12-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 0
- 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.
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-12-31 vs 2023-12-31
-
Turnover
+0.6%
£71,369,803 £71,777,625
-
Cash
-31.3%
£12,982,251 £8,918,564
-
Net assets
+10.7%
£199,570,205 £220,904,365
-
Employees
-2.2%
363 355
-
Operating profit
-0.9%
£23,947,427 £23,727,657
-
Profit before tax
+15.5%
£26,184,838 £30,237,013
-
Wages
+0.4%
£15,119,736 £15,185,817
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