SMITHS NEWS HOLDINGS LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2027-05-31 (in 1y)
Last filed for 2025-08-30
Confirmation statement due
2027-01-26 (in 8mo)
Last made up 2026-01-12
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£195M
+13.3% vs 2024
Employees
—
Average over period
Profit before tax
£210M
+2,771.2% vs 2024
Name history
Renamed 2 times since incorporation
- SMITHS NEWS HOLDINGS LIMITED 2006-09-13 → present
- GREENBRIDGE NEWS LIMITED 2001-07-27 → 2006-09-13
- PRECIS (2051) LIMITED 2001-06-18 → 2001-07-27
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Industrials median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2025-08-30
| Metric | Trend | 2024-08-31 | 2025-08-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | — | |
| Operating profit | — | — | |
| Profit before tax | £7,300,000 | £209,600,000 | |
| Net profit | £7,300,000 | £209,600,000 | |
| Cash | — | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £172,100,000 | £195,000,000 | |
| Net assets | £172,100,000 | £195,000,000 | |
| Equity | £172,100,000 | £195,000,000 | |
| 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 | 2024-08-31 | 2025-08-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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)
- Abridged
- Yes — abridged accounts (limited disclosure)
- Auditor
- BDO LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“For this reason, the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements and no material uncertainty has been identified.”
Group structure
- SMITHS NEWS HOLDINGS LIMITED · parent
- Connect Limited 100%
- Martin Lavell Limited 100%
- Connect Logistics Limited 100%
- Pass My Parcel Limited 100%
- Connect News & Media Limited 100%
- Smiths News Instore Limited 100%
- Connect Parcel Freight Limited 100%
- Smiths News Investments Limited 100%
- Connect Parcels Limited 100%
- Smiths News Distribution Limited 100%
- Connect Services Limited 100%
- Smiths News Trading Limited 100%
- Connect Specialist Distribution Group Limited 100%
- Dawson Holdings Ltd 100%
- Connect2U Limited 100%
- Dawson Media Direct Limited 100%
- Dawson Media Services Limited 100%
- Dawson Limited 100%
- Dawson Guarantee Company Limited 100%
- Dawson Media Direct Gmbh 100%
- Dawson Media Direct Co. Ltd. 49%
Significant events
- “During the period an interim dividend of £186.7m (2024: none) was proposed to Smiths News plc, it's immediate an ultimate parent, and settled via the settlement of intercompany positions. The directors do not propose a further dividend.”
- “During the period, a dividend of £355.1m was received from Smiths News Trading Limited (the Company's immediate subsidiary) which had the impact of increasing retained earnings in the Company but lowering the net value in the subsidiary.”
- “During the period the Company incurred £0.7m of legal costs in considering and responding to two extensive enquiry requests (October 2024 and June 2025) from the Pension Regulator (tPR) in relation to tPR's ongoing investigation into the Tuffnells defined benefit pension scheme and the Company's period of ownership of Tuffnells, which had concluded with its sale in May 2020.”
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARRINER, Stuart Steven | Secretary | 2011-09-01 | — | — |
| BUNTING, Jonathan Michael | Director | 2019-11-05 | Feb 1972 | British |
| CLAY, Richard Henry Arden | Director | 2026-02-02 | Feb 1977 | British |
Show 21 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLTON, Mark Hopwood | Secretary | 2006-09-06 | 2011-08-31 |
| HOUGHTON, Ian | Secretary | 2001-07-26 | 2006-09-06 |
| OFFICE ORGANIZATION & SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 2001-06-18 | 2001-07-26 |
| SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 2001-06-18 | 2001-06-18 |
| BAKER, Paul Martin | Director | 2021-12-01 | 2025-11-21 |
| BAUERNFEIND, David Gregory | Director | 2016-10-01 | 2018-06-12 |
| BUNTING, Jonathan Michael | Director | 2010-09-01 | 2018-10-01 |
| CASHMORE, Mark Richard | Director | 2006-09-06 | 2018-08-31 |
| CHARLTON, Mark Hopwood | Director | 2006-09-06 | 2011-08-31 |
| GRACE, Anthony Liam | Director | 2018-10-01 | 2021-11-30 |
| GRESHAM, Nicholas John | Director | 2010-09-01 | 2016-10-01 |
| HANDOVER, Richard Gordon | Director | 2001-07-26 | 2002-04-16 |
| HOUGHTON, Ian | Director | 2002-04-16 | 2006-09-06 |
| HUMPHREY, Alan John | Director | 2006-06-23 | 2010-08-31 |
| OPDEWEEGH, Jozef | Director | 2018-09-01 | 2019-11-05 |
| STEWART, Alan James | Director | 2005-03-03 | 2006-09-06 |
| SWANN, Kathryn Elizabeth | Director | 2004-05-19 | 2006-09-06 |
| WARREN, John Anthony | Director | 2004-05-19 | 2005-03-03 |
| WARREN, John Anthony | Director | 2001-07-26 | 2002-04-16 |
| WHITE, Colin Anthony | Director | 2002-04-16 | 2004-05-19 |
| PEREGRINE SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 2001-06-18 | 2001-07-26 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths News Plc | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 143 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2020-11-13 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-04 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-01-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-01-09 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-11-25 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-04-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-02-04 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-02-23 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-02-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-04-17 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2023-02-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-02-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2022-02-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-12-14 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-12-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2021-12-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2021-10-29 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2021-04-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-02-12 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2020-11-13 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2020-11-12 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 1
- 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
FY2024 → FY2025 · period ending 2025-08-30 vs 2024-08-31
-
Turnover
—
Not reported
-
Cash
—
Not reported
-
Net assets
+13.3%
£172,100,000 £195,000,000
-
Employees
—
Not reported
-
Profit before tax
+2,771.2%
£7,300,000 £209,600,000
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