THE EUROPEAN SMALLER COMPANIES TRUST PLC
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Next accounts due
2026-12-31 (in 7mo)
Last filed for 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement due
2027-01-18 (in 8mo)
Last made up 2026-01-04
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£840M
+64.4% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
—
Average over period
Profit before tax
£46M
-49.7% first positive since 2024
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- THE EUROPEAN SMALLER COMPANIES TRUST PLC 2022-01-17 → present
- TR EUROPEAN GROWTH TRUST PLC 1990-07-10 → 2022-01-17
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Financials median
Accounts
3-year trend · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2024-12-31 | 2025-06-30 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £5,535,000 | £20,623,000 | £3,319,000 | |
| Operating profit | -£57,007,000 | £95,097,000 | £46,491,000 | |
| Profit before tax | -£59,592,000 | £91,608,000 | £46,053,000 | |
| Net profit | -£59,894,000 | £90,057,000 | £45,942,000 | |
| Cash | £459,000 | £1,396,000 | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £719,345,000 | £510,677,000 | £839,615,000 | |
| Net assets | £719,345,000 | £510,677,000 | £839,615,000 | |
| Equity | £719,345,000 | £510,677,000 | £839,615,000 | |
| Average employees | — | — | — | |
| Wages | — | — | — |
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 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-06-30 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | -1029.9% | 461.1% | 1400.8% | |
| Net margin | -1082.1% | 436.7% | 1384.2% | |
| Return on capital employed | -7.9% | 18.6% | 5.5% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 12.8% | 2.6% | 5.7% | |
| Current ratio | 0.05x | 0.50x | 0.09x | |
| Interest cover | -22.05x | 27.26x | 106.14x |
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
- IFRS
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Audit opinion
- Unaudited (audit-exempt)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The directors have assessed the principal risks and uncertainties facing the Company and concluded that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis of preparation.”
Significant events
- “successful combination with European Assets Trust PLC”
- “A new dividend policy has been introduced”
- “On 15 October 2025, the Company acquired £304,121,000 of net assets from European Assets Trust PLC”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
7 active · 18 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JANUS HENDERSON SECRETARIAL SERVICES UK LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | — | — | — |
| BURGESS, Daniel Richard | Director | 2019-11-25 | Jun 1958 | British |
| CORNISH-BOWDEN, Katherine | Director | 2025-10-16 | Nov 1966 | British |
| GREVELIUS, Ann | Director | 2019-09-23 | Dec 1966 | Swedish |
| MEIER-KIRNER, Nadia | Director | 2025-04-28 | Jun 1978 | German |
| PATERSON, Andrew Stuart Weir | Director | 2025-10-16 | Jan 1970 | British |
| WILLIAMS, James Frederick William | Director | 2023-11-01 | Sep 1965 | British |
Show 18 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTTILA, Juhani | Director | 2001-07-01 | 2003-03-24 |
| CASEY, Christopher Michael | Director | 2010-03-01 | 2024-11-26 |
| CLARK, Bernard Colin | Director | 2003-08-15 | 2011-11-07 |
| CODLING, David Fletcher | Director | 1998-09-07 | 2003-11-03 |
| GLOSSOP, Peter George | Director | — | 2002-11-08 |
| HEIDEMPERGHER, Simona | Director | 2014-09-01 | 2025-11-24 |
| JEENS, Robert Charles Hubert | Director | 2002-05-20 | 2014-06-30 |
| LANCASTER, Jeremy | Director | 2002-05-20 | 2009-11-02 |
| LITTLER, James Geoffrey, Sir | Director | — | 1998-10-12 |
| MARTIN SMITH, Andrew Everard | Director | 2008-05-19 | 2021-11-29 |
| MAUMUS, Oliver Jean Dominique | Director | — | 2000-09-22 |
| METTENHEIMER, Alexander | Director | 2011-07-01 | 2022-11-28 |
| NEYNABER, Jochen | Director | 2001-08-03 | 2010-11-08 |
| PEAK, Stephen Victor | Director | 1994-09-05 | 2004-10-26 |
| PRICE, Jonathan Meredith | Director | — | 2001-09-21 |
| SHAW, John Calman, Sir | Director | — | 2002-05-20 |
| TUFNELL, Rosina Jane | Director | 2012-09-01 | 2014-11-17 |
| TWISTON DAVIES, Audley William | Director | 2000-01-31 | 2019-11-25 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 957 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2025-12-01 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-27 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2026-03-09 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2026-03-06 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type interim | |
| 2026-03-06 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2026-03-06 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2026-01-28 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-01-05 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2026-01-05 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2025-12-17 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2025-12-17 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2025-12-17 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2025-12-17 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2025-12-17 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares treasury capital date | |
| 2025-12-16 | SH19 | capital | Capital statement capital company with date currency figure | |
| 2025-12-16 | OC138 | capital | Legacy | |
| 2025-12-16 | CERT21 | capital | Certificate capital cancellation share premium account | |
| 2025-12-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-12-01 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-11-26 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-11-05 | SH03 | capital | Capital return purchase own shares |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 20
- Capital events
- 15
- Officers appointed
- 2
- 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
FY2025 → FY2025 · period ending 2025-12-31 vs 2025-06-30
-
Turnover
-83.9%
£20,623,000 £3,319,000
lowest in 3 filed years
-
Cash
—
Not reported
-
Net assets
+64.4%
£510,677,000 £839,615,000
highest in 3 filed years
-
Employees
—
Not reported
-
Operating profit
-51.1%
£95,097,000 £46,491,000
first positive since 2024
-
Profit before tax
-49.7%
£91,608,000 £46,053,000
first positive since 2024
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