VOLKERRAIL SPECIALIST BUSINESSES LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2027-04-24 (in 11mo)
Last made up 2026-04-10
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£25M
+118.7% vs 2023
Net assets
£27M
+7.3% vs 2023
Employees
740
+6% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£8M
+37.7% vs 2023
Name history
Renamed 3 times since incorporation
- VOLKERRAIL SPECIALIST BUSINESSES LIMITED 2010-01-08 → present
- VOLKERRAIL PLANT LIMITED 2009-02-27 → 2010-01-08
- GRANTPLANT LIMITED 2001-06-26 → 2009-02-27
- BROOMCO (2534) LIMITED 2001-04-10 → 2001-06-26
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 | £173,453,000 | £165,386,000 | |
| Operating profit | £6,654,000 | £9,174,000 | |
| Profit before tax | £6,109,000 | £8,413,000 | |
| Net profit | £4,631,000 | £6,440,000 | |
| Cash | £11,408,000 | £24,953,000 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £39,928,000 | £43,728,000 | |
| Net assets | £25,253,000 | £27,093,000 | |
| Equity | £25,253,000 | £27,093,000 | |
| Average employees | 698 | 740 | |
| Wages | £40,843,000 | £45,974,000 |
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 | 3.8% | 5.5% | |
| Net margin | 2.7% | 3.9% | |
| Return on capital employed | 16.7% | 21.0% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 62.0% | 66.6% | |
| Interest cover | 12.21x | 12.06x |
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)
- Auditor
- Deloitte LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Given the facilities available from VolkerWessels UK Limited, along with the Company's net current assets position and strength of the forward secured order book, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for 12 months from the date of signing the financial statements (see note 2.3 for further details).”
Significant events
- “The largest single area of the plant business during 2024 has been the final full year of the seven-year framework contract for the provision of On Track Machine (OTM) services to Network Rail. The contract for this award commenced in March 2018. This contract ends in March 2025 and VolkerRail has been successful in being awarded a new framework from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2033.”
- “2024 marked the 11th year with an Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) of zero which is a record safety performance across the industry peer-group.”
- “In 2024 the Signalling & Telecoms division were successful in securing two additional Network Rail CP7 (2024 to 2029) Frameworks.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
8 active · 14 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIRCH, Stuart James | Director | 2025-05-13 | Jan 1972 | British |
| HARRIS, Anita Suzanne | Director | 2023-07-04 | Oct 1975 | British |
| KENNEDY, Jacqueline Moira | Director | 2024-07-15 | Apr 1970 | British |
| MCCREANOR, Niall | Director | 2020-12-22 | Jun 1965 | British |
| OFFORD, Richard Andrew | Director | 2022-08-25 | Sep 1964 | British |
| WILKINS, Andrew Michael | Director | 2010-07-01 | Oct 1964 | British |
| WOODS, Matthew Gordon | Director | 2011-03-15 | May 1965 | British |
| VOLKERWESSELS UK LIMITED | Corporate Director | 2009-06-09 | — | — |
Show 14 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| EATON, Keith Andrew | Secretary | 2001-05-14 | 2008-03-20 |
| TAYLOR, Richard John | Secretary | 2008-03-20 | 2009-02-10 |
| WEST, Alison Taylor | Secretary | 2009-02-10 | 2014-07-31 |
| DLA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 2001-04-10 | 2001-05-14 |
| COCLIFF, Stephen Jeffrey | Director | 2009-11-30 | 2024-12-31 |
| CONNELL, Naomi Anne | Director | 2011-03-15 | 2023-07-16 |
| EATON, Keith Andrew | Director | 2001-05-14 | 2008-03-20 |
| EDWARDS, John Grenville | Director | 2001-05-14 | 2010-02-12 |
| MITCHELL, Stephen Alexander | Director | 2008-03-20 | 2009-11-30 |
| NOLAN, Paul Howard | Director | 2009-11-30 | 2024-07-15 |
| ROBERTSON, Alan Robert | Director | 2011-03-15 | 2023-12-31 |
| TAYLOR, Richard John | Director | 2008-03-20 | 2010-07-01 |
| DLA NOMINEES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 2001-04-10 | 2001-05-14 |
| DLA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 2001-04-10 | 2001-05-14 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volkerrail Group Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 126 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2022-10-03 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-14 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-09-08 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-05-15 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-04-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-01-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-07-25 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-07-17 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-07-17 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-04-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-01-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-08-03 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-07-17 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-07-05 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-06-13 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-06-13 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-06-13 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-06-13 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-06-13 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2023-04-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-03 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 3
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 1
- 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
-4.7%
£173,453,000 £165,386,000
-
Cash
+118.7%
£11,408,000 £24,953,000
-
Net assets
+7.3%
£25,253,000 £27,093,000
-
Employees
+6%
698 740
-
Operating profit
+37.9%
£6,654,000 £9,174,000
-
Profit before tax
+37.7%
£6,109,000 £8,413,000
-
Wages
+12.6%
£40,843,000 £45,974,000
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