BRADFORD AND SONS LIMITED
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Cash
£1.4M
+93.4% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£54M
+8.2% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
880
+2.7% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£5.1M
-23.2% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £222,208,000 | £219,476,000 | £225,961,000 | +3% | |
| Operating profit | £7,032,000 | £6,738,000 | £6,242,000 | -7.4% | |
| Profit before tax | £6,112,000 | £6,629,000 | £5,088,000 | -23.2% | |
| Net profit | £4,501,000 | £4,934,000 | £3,493,000 | -29.2% | |
| Cash | £960,000 | £738,000 | £1,427,000 | +93.4% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £61,482,000 | £63,737,000 | £62,271,000 | -2.3% | |
| Net assets | £49,983,000 | £49,466,000 | £53,539,000 | +8.2% | |
| Equity | £49,983,000 | £49,466,000 | £53,539,000 | +8.2% | |
| Average employees | 892 | 857 | 880 | +2.7% | |
| Wages | £28,582,000 | £28,909,000 | £31,089,000 | +7.5% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £953,000 | £695,000 | £935,000 | +34.5% |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 3.2% | 3.1% | 2.8% | |
| Net margin | 2.0% | 2.2% | 1.5% | |
| Return on capital employed | 11.4% | 10.6% | 10.0% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 48.9% | 50.1% | — | |
| Current ratio | 1.29x | 1.34x | 1.41x | |
| Interest cover | 7.45x | 7.63x | 7.31x |
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
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- BDO LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Group or Parent Company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.”
Group structure
- BRADFORD AND SONS LIMITED · parent
- Bradfords Building Supplies Limited 100%
- Yeovil Plumbing Supplies Limited 100%
- Bradfords Coal Limited 100%
- The Bradfords Group Limited 100%
- Bradfords Timber Supplies Limited 100%
Significant events
- “Net debt decreased from £18.3m at the end of 2024 to £9.8m as of 31 December 2025. This decrease reflected a reduction in capital expenditure during the year, great work to rationalise branch stockholdings and the impact of the cash released from the closure of the Exeter site at the end of 2024 and the subsequent freehold property sales in 2025; this sale resulting in a profit on disposal of £0.9m included within exceptional items.”
- “The Group has made donations for charitable purposes which amounted to £28k in the year ended 31 December 2025 (2024 - £23k).”
- “The scheme was a significant long-term liability and thus risk. Through a collaborative approach the JWG assessed the feasibility to addressing this and remove the material risks from the Group going forwards.”
- “Closure of the Central Distribution Unit following a consultation period with senior managers and branch staff.”
- “On 27 March 2024, the FRC issued amendments to FRS 102. The effective date for most amendments is accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026, with earlier adoption permitted. The Group has chosen not to early adopt any of the amendments in these financial statements.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 27 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEY, John Graham | Director | 2022-11-01 | Apr 1954 | British |
| GILLARD, David James | Director | 2022-05-01 | Oct 1962 | British |
| HARWOOD, Lee Brian | Director | 2020-02-25 | Dec 1975 | British |
| PLATT, Alan Graham | Director | 2017-08-17 | Aug 1974 | British |
| ROCHE, Paul Bernard | Director | 2024-09-01 | Sep 1964 | Irish |
| YOUNG, David Andrew Walsh | Director | 2017-06-07 | Feb 1974 | British |
Show 27 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAVID, Michael John | Secretary | — | 2006-09-30 |
| HAUGHTON, Adrian Paul, Mr. | Secretary | 2008-10-28 | 2017-12-31 |
| ZMUDA, Richard Cyril | Secretary | 2006-10-01 | 2008-10-28 |
| ADAMS, George Miles Bramston | Director | 2018-10-01 | 2021-12-06 |
| BRADFORD, Martin Major, Mr. | Director | 2014-06-01 | 2017-08-17 |
| BRADFORD, Peter Stanley | Director | — | 2006-08-22 |
| BRADFORD, Stephen Paul Job | Director | — | 2007-04-30 |
| BRIANT, Anne Gillian | Director | 1999-05-01 | 2014-04-30 |
| BRIANT, Nicholas Adrian, Mr. | Director | 2014-05-01 | 2018-06-30 |
| CHURCH, Ian Stanton | Director | 2017-06-07 | 2019-03-19 |
| CLARKE, Dennis Walter | Director | — | 1994-04-30 |
| DAVID, Antony Martin | Director | 2008-11-01 | 2018-10-31 |
| EBURNE, Mark Andrew | Director | 2013-12-02 | 2019-03-19 |
| HAGEN, Martin John | Director | 2015-05-08 | 2016-02-08 |
| HALL, Nicholas Peter | Director | 2018-11-29 | 2022-03-07 |
| HAUGHTON, Adrian Paul, Mr. | Director | 2001-02-01 | 2017-12-31 |
| KING, Gordon | Director | — | 1998-12-31 |
| LAWRENCE, Rachel Marie | Director | 2018-07-01 | 2020-04-07 |
| MERRIAM, Andrew William Kennedy | Director | 2000-05-01 | 2015-02-26 |
| PERYER, James Richard | Director | 2000-01-01 | 2016-04-30 |
| SCOTT, Nicholas John Shaw | Director | 2017-10-26 | 2018-11-16 |
| SMITH, Dennis James | Director | 2000-01-01 | 2014-04-08 |
| STANNARD, Terry George | Director | 2003-04-01 | 2015-04-30 |
| WAIN, Anthony John | Director | 1994-05-01 | 2003-07-31 |
| WAY, Raymond Brinsley Mallen | Director | — | 2001-04-30 |
| WEBB, Ian John | Director | 2017-12-31 | 2018-07-09 |
| WEBB, Ian John | Director | 2017-11-30 | 2018-07-09 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 208 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-12-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-04-08 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-12-09 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-09-02 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-04-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-03-25 | 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
- 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.