SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-11-12 (in 6mo)
Last made up 2025-10-29
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£3M
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£716M
+0.1% vs 2023
Employees
444
+1.8% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£80M
+142.9% vs 2023
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Basic Materials median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £246,838,000 | £253,790,000 | |
| Operating profit | £27,961,000 | £35,008,000 | |
| Profit before tax | £33,039,000 | £80,257,000 | |
| Net profit | £25,952,000 | £70,618,000 | |
| Cash | — | £2,803,000 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £715,468,000 | £717,258,000 | |
| Net assets | £715,468,000 | £716,255,000 | |
| Equity | £715,468,000 | £716,255,000 | |
| Average employees | 436 | 444 | |
| Wages | £18,760,000 | £19,801,000 |
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 | 11.3% | 13.8% | |
| Net margin | 10.5% | 27.8% | |
| Return on capital employed | 3.9% | 4.9% | |
| Current ratio | 10.66x | 10.23x | |
| Interest cover | — | 614.18x |
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
- Deloitte LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which the directors consider to be appropriate for the following reasons. The Directors have prepared cash flow forecasts covering at least 12 months from the date of signing these financial statements. The company will have sufficient funds through its central cash pooling account to meet its liabilities as they fall due for that period. In preparing these forecasts, they have taken a prudent approach, in which the average margin for the past three years has been used, where this is lower than the margin achieved for the last 12 months. They also noted that the company has a positive net assets and positive net current assets position as at the balance sheet date. Consequently, the directors are confident that the Company will have sufficient funds to continue to meet its liabilities as they fall due for at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements and therefore have prepared the financial statements on a going concern basis.”
Group structure
- SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED · parent
- SAFC Biosciences Limited 100%
- Epichem Group Limited 100%
- Millipore (U.K.) Limited 100%
- Sigma Chemical Company Limited 100%
Significant events
- “In March 2025, the Company cancelled its contract manufacturing agreement with a sister company based in Germany and acquired full responsibility and rights for the manufacture of certain custom products for German customers.”
- “In 2024 all UK employees continued to have the option to provide a monetary donation or contribute items to a physical food bank in all UK sites.”
- “The cube visited the Irvine, Gillingham, Poole, and Haverhill sites in 2024, with a total of over 2,000 children visiting the cube across all these visits.”
- “Employees from Sigma Aldrich Company Limited also carried out several fundraising activities over 2024, raising funds for several charities including MacMillan Cancer Support, Lewis Manning Hospice care, North Ayrshire Foodbank and Ronald McDonald House. Sigma Aldrich Company Ltd also provided donations towards several local community groups including KΑ Leisure Recycled Sports Kit & Equipment Donation, sponsorship of local school events and repairs to local district Guide Hall.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 21 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A G SECRETARIAL LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2016-05-01 | — | — |
| CAMARGO, Mauricio Monte Ferraz De | Director | 2024-12-20 | Nov 1982 | Brazilian |
| MASSEY, Alison Eve | Director | 2023-03-01 | Sep 1964 | British |
Show 21 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| CREIGHTON, Anthony John | Secretary | — | 1993-12-21 |
| LUCAS, Graham | Secretary | 2001-04-02 | 2015-08-27 |
| MUSSELWHITE, Roger | Secretary | 1993-12-21 | 2001-03-31 |
| BIRO, Peter | Director | 2017-07-01 | 2023-03-01 |
| CREIGHTON, Anthony John | Director | — | 2001-03-31 |
| GLEICH, Peter Anthony | Director | — | 1998-03-31 |
| GORDON, Leigh Cameron | Director | 2024-08-02 | 2024-12-20 |
| GREEN, Eric Mark | Director | 2001-04-02 | 2014-03-18 |
| HARRIS, Michael Christopher James | Director | 2007-08-13 | 2011-12-19 |
| HEFFERNAN, James Gerard, Dr | Director | 2000-11-01 | 2002-07-31 |
| HOLLENKAMP, Michael James | Director | 2014-03-18 | 2015-11-24 |
| HUMPHRYES, Kenneth Charles | Director | 1993-12-21 | 2000-07-25 |
| JACKSON, Victor Mark | Director | 2015-08-27 | 2024-08-02 |
| KRATZER, Stefan | Director | 2016-05-26 | 2017-07-01 |
| LUCAS, Graham | Director | 2002-07-31 | 2015-08-27 |
| OLDFIELD, Fiona | Director | 2014-03-18 | 2016-03-31 |
| SCHRAISHUHN, Lutz | Director | 2014-03-18 | 2016-11-14 |
| SMITH, David Robert Clement | Director | 2000-11-01 | 2002-07-31 |
| SMITH, Robert William | Director | — | 2002-09-16 |
| VAN DEN DOOL, Gerrit Johannis Cornelis | Director | 2000-11-01 | 2016-11-11 |
| VAN OUDENAREN, Henry | Director | 2005-01-04 | 2007-08-13 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck Kgaa | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 142 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-29 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-07-11 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-01-27 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-01-27 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-11-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-10-02 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-09-09 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-09-06 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-11-07 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-07-25 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-03-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-03-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-01-03 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-10-31 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-11-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-06-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-12-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-11-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2020-06-29 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2019-11-05 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates |
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
+2.8%
£246,838,000 £253,790,000
-
Cash
—
Not reported
-
Net assets
+0.1%
£715,468,000 £716,255,000
-
Employees
+1.8%
436 444
-
Operating profit
+25.2%
£27,961,000 £35,008,000
-
Profit before tax
+142.9%
£33,039,000 £80,257,000
-
Wages
+5.5%
£18,760,000 £19,801,000
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