HACHETTE UK LIMITED — The Accounts

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Next accounts due

2026-09-30 (in 4mo)

Last filed for 2024-12-31

Confirmation statement due

2026-10-14 (in 5mo)

Last made up 2025-09-30

Watchouts

2 items

Cash

£2M

-82.3% vs 2023

Net assets

£248M

-4.1% vs 2023

Employees

415

+13.4% vs 2023

Profit before tax

£28M

-7.4% vs 2023

Watchouts

Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating

3 officer resignations in last 12 months

Multiple officers have left the board recently — see the People section for who.
1 PSC ceased in last 24 months

Significant control changed hands — see the Ownership section.

Name history

Renamed 3 times since incorporation

HACHETTE UK LIMITED 2008-12-03 → present
HLUK (EUSTON ROAD) LIMITED 2007-07-17 → 2008-12-03
HODDER HEADLINE LIMITED 1993-06-29 → 2007-07-17
HEADLINE BOOK PUBLISHING PLC 1986-05-15 → 1993-06-29

Net assets

2-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median

HACHETTE UK LIMITED·Consumer Discretionary median · n=5592

Accounts

2-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31

Metric	2023-12-31	2024-12-31
Turnover	—	—
Operating profit	-£3,790,697	£1,967,719
Profit before tax	£29,991,786	£27,773,510
Net profit	£27,734,904	£25,962,221
Cash	£11,143,117	£1,974,604
Total assets less current liabilities	—	—
Net assets	£258,535,516	£247,931,987
Equity	£258,535,516	£247,931,987
Average employees	366	415
Wages	£27,918,504	£30,943,532

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
Current ratio		1.05x	1.79x
Interest cover		-2.12x	1.12x

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: Constantin
Audit opinion: Unqualified (clean)
Going concern: Affirmed
“The Company will continue to be supported by the parent company, and a written confirmation has been obtained from the parent company to the directors confirming the support will be effective for a period of at least one year from the date of signing of the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024. In assessing going concern, there was consideration of the potential impacts of inflation and the cost of living crisis on the Company's forecasts; the directors are satisified that the Company will be able to meet its obligations as they fall due and therefore that the going concern basis of preparation remains appropriate.”

Group structure

HACHETTE UK LIMITED · parent
1. Headline Publishing Group Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
2. Hachette UK Distribution Limited 100% · England and Wales · Distribution
3. Hodder & Stoughton Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
4. Quercus Editions Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
5. Hachette Singapore Private Limited 100% · Singapore · Publishing
6. Hachette Australia Pty Ltd 100% · Australia · Publishing
7. Hachette New Zealand Limited 100% · New Zealand · Publishing
8. Hachette Book Publishing India Private Limited 100% · India · Publishing
9. Alliance Distribution Services Pty Limited 100% · Australia · Distribution
10. Neon Play Limited 70% · England and Wales · Electronic Gaming
11. Storyfire Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
12. Laurence King Publishing Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
13. Laurence King Verlag GmbH 100% · Germany · Publishing
14. Illuminate Publishing Limited 100% · England and Wales · Dormant
15. John Catt Educational Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
16. Paperblanks Limited 100% · Ireland · Publishing
17. Paperblanks Journals Limited 100% · Canada · Publishing
18. Welbeck Publishing Group Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
19. Welbeck Publishing Group Services Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
20. Mortimer Books Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
21. Carlton Books Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
22. Andre Deutsch Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
23. Welbeck Fiction Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
24. Welbeck Non-Fiction Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
25. Welbeck Children's Limited 100% · England and Wales · Publishing
26. Welbeck Publishing Pty Ltd 100% · Australia · Publishing
27. Flame Tree Publishing Limited 49.24% · England and Wales · Publishing

Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers

People

4 active · 62 resigned

Name	Role	Appointed	Born	Nationality
WRIGHT, Dylan Matthew	Secretary	2026-04-01	—	—
KITSON, Richard David	Director	2011-09-30	Jun 1977	British
SHELLEY, David Richard	Director	2017-12-12	Apr 1976	British
WRIGHT, Dylan Matthew	Director	2026-04-01	Mar 1973	British

Show 62 resigned officers

Name	Role	Appointed	Resigned
BROWN, Anthony Malcolm	Secretary	1999-09-03	2002-02-25
BUCKLEY, Michael David	Secretary	2004-06-15	2004-08-02
COLEY, Paul Murray	Secretary	—	1995-07-05
DE CACQUERAY, Pierre	Secretary	2005-05-03	2026-04-01
FAIRBAIRN, Colin Graham Campbell	Secretary	2002-02-25	2004-06-15
HUGHES, Henry Stuart	Secretary	1993-06-30	1994-02-07
OPZOOMER, Mark William	Secretary	1995-07-05	1999-09-03
ROBINSON, Stephen Leonard	Secretary	2004-08-02	2005-05-03
ADAM, Richard John	Director	1996-04-15	1999-10-18
ATTENBOROUGH, Michael Francis	Director	1993-06-30	1993-09-24
ATTENBOROUGH, Philip John	Director	1993-06-30	1996-01-08
ATTWOOLL, David John	Director	2000-09-01	2002-02-12
BAKHOUCHE, Fabrice	Director	2021-06-15	2023-08-31
BEAVAN, Susan Patricia	Director	—	1993-06-30
BIGGS-DAVISON, Thomas George Julian	Director	1993-06-30	1993-08-26
BROOKE, John Alan De Leighton	Director	—	1993-06-30
BRYARS, Anthony Martin	Director	1999-09-03	2002-12-17
COLEY, Paul Murray	Director	—	1993-06-30
DAWSON, Jeremy	Director	—	1994-10-12
DE CACQUERAY, Pierre	Director	2004-09-25	2026-04-01
DONOUGHMORE, Richard Michael John, The Earl Of Donoughm	Director	—	1997-05-07
EDWARDS, Malcolm John	Director	1994-03-01	2007-06-13
EVANS, Martin John	Director	2005-03-01	2007-06-13
FAIRBAIRN, Colin Graham Campbell	Director	2001-12-01	2004-06-15
FLETCHER, Susan Jane	Director	—	2007-06-13
HAMILL, Keith	Director	1999-06-04	2000-05-31
HANDOVER, Richard Gordon	Director	1999-06-04	2003-11-04
HELY HUTCHINSON, Timothy Mark	Director	—	2017-12-12
HODDER WILLIAMS, James	Director	2001-09-01	2007-06-13
HODDER-WILLIAMS, James	Director	2009-12-03	2022-03-31
HUGHES, Henry Stuart	Director	1993-06-30	1994-02-07
JOHNSON, Marlene	Director	2005-04-01	2015-01-22
KITSON, Richard David	Director	2006-11-15	2007-06-13
LLOYD, John Eliot Fraser	Director	1995-03-28	1999-09-03
MAJOR, Eric Patrick	Director	1993-06-30	1995-12-31
MORPETH, Jane Sinclair	Director	1991-06-26	1993-06-30
MORTIMORE, Jon William	Director	1999-10-18	2001-11-30
MURRAY HILL, Hilary	Director	2015-01-22	2025-10-01
NEILD, Martin John	Director	1993-07-28	2009-12-03
NETTLETON, Charles	Director	1999-09-03	2005-05-13
NOURRY, Arnaud	Director	2004-09-25	2021-03-29
OPZOOMER, Mark William	Director	1994-12-05	1999-09-03
PHILIPPS, Roland Alexander	Director	2003-03-05	2007-06-13
PICKETT, Kenneth Edwin	Director	1992-07-29	1995-07-06
RIDOUT, Amanda Jane	Director	1996-10-01	2001-09-30
ROBINSON, Stephen Leonard	Director	2004-08-02	2005-05-03
ROCHE, Peter Charles Kenneth	Director	2004-09-25	2013-06-30
STEVEN, Brian Michael	Director	1993-09-01	1998-01-15
STILEMAN, Richard	Director	1993-09-01	2001-12-31
STOCKDALE, Michael Clive Reginald	Director	2004-01-07	2006-01-03
SWANN, Kathryn Elizabeth	Director	2003-11-04	2004-09-25
TAPISSIER, Mary	Director	1994-05-05	2007-02-05
TAYLOR, Susan Elizabeth	Director	2006-09-19	2007-06-13
THOMAS, Sian Elizabeth	Director	—	1996-08-02
TRIBE, Elisabeth Jane	Director	2012-08-02	2023-03-31
WALTERS, Philip John Kedgerley	Director	1998-01-01	2009-12-03
WARNFORD-DAVIS, Karelyn Mandy	Director	1995-03-28	1999-09-03
WARREN, John Anthony	Director	2000-09-01	2004-09-25
WEBSTER, Thomas Peter	Director	2009-12-03	2012-08-02
WESTON, Christopher John	Director	—	1999-09-03
WRIGHT, Patrick Michael Mckee	Director	1993-06-30	1993-08-26
YOUNG, David John	Director	2006-04-20	2007-06-13

Ownership

Persons with significant control

Name	Kind	Nature of control	Notified	Status
Louis Hachette Group Sa	Corporate entity	Shares 50–75%	2024-12-16	Active
Vivendi Se	Corporate entity	Shares 75–100%	2016-04-06	Ceased 2024-12-16
Hachette Uk (Holdings) Limited	Corporate entity	Shares 75–100%	2016-04-06	Active
Lagardère Sa	Corporate entity	Shares 75–100%	2016-04-06	Active

Filing timeline

Last 20 of 390 total filings

Date	Type	Category	Description
2026-04-01	AP01	officers	Appoint person director company with name date	PDF
2026-04-01	AP03	officers	Appoint person secretary company with name date	PDF
2026-04-01	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF
2026-04-01	TM02	officers	Termination secretary company with name termination date	PDF
2025-10-14	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2025-10-14	PSC02	persons-with-significant-control	Notification of a person with significant control	PDF
2025-10-14	PSC07	persons-with-significant-control	Cessation of a person with significant control	PDF
2025-10-01	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF
2025-08-07	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2024-10-15	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with updates	PDF
2024-10-15	PSC02	persons-with-significant-control	Notification of a person with significant control	PDF
2024-10-15	PSC02	persons-with-significant-control	Notification of a person with significant control	PDF
2024-07-29	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2023-10-16	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2023-08-31	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF
2023-08-04	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2023-05-04	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF
2022-10-14	CS01	confirmation-statement	Confirmation statement with no updates	PDF
2022-09-01	AA	accounts	Accounts with accounts type full
2022-04-26	TM01	officers	Termination director company with name termination date	PDF

Public-record activity

Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months

Filings: 9
Capital events: 0
Officers appointed: 2
Officers resigned: 3

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

—

Not reported
Cash

-82.3%

£11,143,117 £1,974,604
Net assets

-4.1%

£258,535,516 £247,931,987
Employees

+13.4%

366 415
Operating profit

+151.9%

-£3,790,697 £1,967,719
Profit before tax

-7.4%

£29,991,786 £27,773,510
Wages

+10.8%

£27,918,504 £30,943,532

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

Official Companies House page