GARDNERS BOOKS LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-11-30 (in 6mo)
Last filed for 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement due
2026-06-29 (in 1mo)
Last made up 2025-06-15
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£47M
+12% vs 2024
Net assets
£102M
+5.4% vs 2024
Employees
933
-2.6% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£15M
-16.3% vs 2024
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- GARDNERS BOOKS LIMITED 1986-07-02 → present
- BOLDTRENCH LIMITED 1986-04-15 → 1986-07-02
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2025-02-28
| Metric | Trend | 2024-02-29 | 2025-02-28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £365,213,915 | £346,836,743 | |
| Operating profit | £16,539,603 | £13,260,550 | |
| Profit before tax | £18,058,055 | £15,119,042 | |
| Net profit | £13,478,704 | £11,234,493 | |
| Cash | £41,744,833 | £46,765,955 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £99,247,079 | £105,477,956 | |
| Net assets | £96,893,045 | £102,127,538 | |
| Equity | £96,893,045 | £102,127,538 | |
| Average employees | 958 | 933 | |
| Wages | £22,289,292 | £23,435,961 |
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 | 2024-02-29 | 2025-02-28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 4.5% | 3.8% | |
| Net margin | 3.7% | 3.2% | |
| Return on capital employed | 16.7% | 12.6% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 35.6% | 35.5% | |
| Current ratio | 2.45x | 2.45x |
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
- Honey Barrett (Audit) Limited
- 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.”
Significant events
- “During the year investment was made into a new facility to increase the capacity available for product and to enable distribution arrangements with customers.”
- “The company is focusing on investing in its operational systems with logistical and IT enhancements across Gardners' sites, in particular for further B2C automation in Despatch. This investment will result in efficiency and capacity gains.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 5 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COX, Rupert Edward | Director | 2025-11-07 | Jul 1971 | British |
| LITTLE, Jonathan James | Director | — | Jan 1965 | British |
| LITTLE, Nicola Gail | Director | 2025-11-07 | May 1968 | British |
| WYMAN, Nigel James | Director | 2025-11-07 | Oct 1972 | British |
Show 5 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| LITTLE, Jean Barbara | Secretary | — | 2009-10-05 |
| LITTLE, Alan Thomas | Director | — | 2013-10-31 |
| LITTLE, Andrew Thomas | Director | — | 2025-11-20 |
| LITTLE, Jean Barbara | Director | — | 2013-10-31 |
| STAFFORD, Yvette Jane | Director | — | 2025-11-20 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Little Group Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 146 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-21 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-11-21 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-11-10 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-11-10 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-11-10 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-11-10 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-11-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-06-19 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-11-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-06-18 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-11-28 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-07-25 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2023-06-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2022-12-01 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-11-22 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2022-06-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2021-11-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-06-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2020-11-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-06-19 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 8
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 3
- 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
FY2024 → FY2025 · period ending 2025-02-28 vs 2024-02-29
-
Turnover
-5%
£365,213,915 £346,836,743
-
Cash
+12%
£41,744,833 £46,765,955
-
Net assets
+5.4%
£96,893,045 £102,127,538
-
Employees
-2.6%
958 933
-
Operating profit
-19.8%
£16,539,603 £13,260,550
-
Profit before tax
-16.3%
£18,058,055 £15,119,042
-
Wages
+5.1%
£22,289,292 £23,435,961
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