ECONOMIST NEWSPAPER LIMITED(THE)
Operating as The Economist Group, this privately owned media company publishes the weekly news magazine The Economist and provides global market intelligence and conference services.
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Cash
£42m
+10.5% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
-£73m
-12.3% lowest in 3 filed years
Employees
1,500
-4.8% lowest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£49m
+6.9% highest in 3 filed years
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
1 PSC ceased in last 24 months
Significant control changed hands — see the Ownership section.
-
Negative shareholders' funds
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2026-03-31
| Metric | Trend | 2024-03-31 | 2025-03-31 | 2026-03-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £359,524,000 | £368,481,000 | £370,653,000 | +0.6% | |
| Operating profit | £47,119,000 | £48,052,000 | £50,411,000 | +4.9% | |
| Profit before tax | £45,178,000 | £45,829,000 | £48,969,000 | +6.9% | |
| Net profit | £34,073,000 | — | £36,864,000 | — | |
| Cash | £24,776,000 | £37,704,000 | £41,657,000 | +10.5% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £123,483,000 | -£28,486,000 | -£43,776,000 | -53.7% | |
| Net assets | -£68,534,000 | -£64,657,000 | -£72,628,000 | -12.3% | |
| Equity | -£68,534,000 | -£64,657,000 | -£72,628,000 | -12.3% | |
| Average employees | 1,535 | 1,575 | 1,500 | -4.8% | |
| Wages | £126,569,000 | £137,172,000 | £134,298,000 | -2.1% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £1,687,000 | £3,655,000 | £3,660,000 | +0.1% |
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 | 2024-03-31 | 2025-03-31 | 2026-03-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 13.1% | 13.0% | 13.6% | |
| Net margin | 9.5% | — | 9.9% | |
| Return on capital employed | 38.2% | — | — | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 141.9% | 138.9% | 146.2% | |
| Current ratio | 11.93x | 0.49x | 0.47x | |
| Interest cover | 19.05x | 17.13x | 20.20x |
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
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Deloitte LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“In order to assess the Group’s ability to continue on a going-concern basis, the directors have considered the future trading prospects of the Group’s businesses and the available financing facilities. Financial projections including profit, cash, debt and balance sheet commitments have been prepared and reviewed to ensure the Group has sufficient liquidity and available financing facilities in place for a period of at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements. As at March 31st 2026 the Group had £41.7m cash and £60.0m of undrawn credit facilities. Based on these projections, available facilities and covenants in place, the Board is confident that it is appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going-concern basis.”
Group structure
- ECONOMIST NEWSPAPER LIMITED(THE) · parent
- BaZian Limited 100%
- Eurasian Information Intelligence GmbH 100%
- Economist (Shanghai) Management Consulting Company Limited 100%
- Economist Digital Services Limited 100%
- EIU (Delaware) LLC 100%
- EuroFinance Conferences Limited 100%
- Rydel Street Properties Limited 100%
- Signal & Noise Limited 100%
- TEG India Private Limited 100%
- TEG New Jersey, LLC 100%
- The Economist Books Limited 100%
- The Economist Editorial (Overseas) Company Limited 100%
- The Economist Group (Asia/Pacific) Limited 100%
- The Economist Group (Brazil Holdings) Limited 100%
- The Economist Group (Europe) Limited 100%
- The Economist Group (Investments) Limited 100%
- The Economist Group (Switzerland) SA 100%
- The Economist Group do Brasil Serviços de Informação sobre Negócios Ltda 100%
- The Economist Group France SARL 100%
- The Economist Group GmbH 100%
- The Economist Group Limited 100%
- The Economist Group Operations Limited 100%
- The Economist Group (Services) Limited 100%
- The Economist Group Trustee Company Limited 100%
- The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 100%
- The Economist Intelligence Unit Cantback SA Proprietary Limited 100%
- The Economist Intelligence Unit, NA, Incorporated 100%
- The Economist Newspaper (Asia/Pacific) Limited 100%
- The Economist Newspaper Group Incorporated 100%
- The Economist Newspaper (Holdings) Limited 100%
- The Economist Newspaper, NA, Incorporated 100%
- The Economist Overseas (Holdings) Limited 100%
- The Economist Pension Trustee Limited 100%
- The Economist Publishing Limited 100%
- The Television Consultancy Limited 100%
- TVC Group Limited 100%
Significant events
- “In May 2026 it was announced that Lara Boro will step down after seven years as chief executive and Zanny Minton Beddoes was appointed as chief executive from that date.”
- “The next Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN on 17th July 2026 at 12.00pm.”
- “In April 2026 Stephen Smith and his family holding company Smith Financial Corporation acquired a 26.95% shareholding in The Economist Group from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and the ERANDA Rothschild Foundation.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
10 active · 46 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRUT, Oscar Kolya Meisen | Secretary | 2002-07-01 | — | Danish |
| BANGA, Manvinder Singh | Director | 2020-09-01 | Oct 1954 | British |
| CADBURY, Georgina Sarah | Director | 2023-01-05 | Jan 1977 | British |
| DEIGHTON, Paul Clive, Lord | Director | 2018-02-21 | Jan 1956 | British |
| HEYWOOD, Suzanne Elizabeth, Lady | Director | 2015-10-16 | Feb 1969 | British |
| MINTON BEDDOES, Susan | Director | 2015-02-09 | Jul 1967 | British |
| PIACENTINI, Diego | Director | 2019-11-22 | Aug 1960 | American,Italian |
| SALAME BORO, Lara | Director | 2019-09-02 | Aug 1967 | British |
| SMITH, Stephen John Richard | Director | 2026-04-27 | Jun 1951 | Canadian |
| SULEYMAN, Mustafa | Director | 2019-06-19 | Aug 1984 | British |
Show 46 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABESSER, Susan Jane | Secretary | 2000-07-04 | 2002-07-01 |
| BRESNAN, Patrick Richard | Secretary | — | 1994-12-31 |
| WALES, Anthony Edward | Secretary | 1995-01-01 | 2000-07-04 |
| ALEXANDER, Helen | Director | 1997-01-01 | 2008-07-15 |
| BAIN, George Sayers, Professor Sir | Director | 1992-12-18 | 2001-12-18 |
| BARLOW, Frank | Director | — | 1999-02-16 |
| BELL, David Charles Maurice, Sir | Director | 2005-08-01 | 2018-09-25 |
| CADBURY, Dominic, Sir | Director | — | 2003-07-11 |
| ELKANN, John | Director | 2009-07-17 | 2020-07-14 |
| EMMOTT, William John | Director | 1993-05-11 | 2006-03-31 |
| FAIRHEAD, Rona Alison | Director | 2005-07-07 | 2014-07-14 |
| FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD, Lynn | Director | 2002-10-22 | 2017-10-21 |
| GARDINER, John Anthony | Director | 2006-08-08 | 2010-07-19 |
| GARDINER, John Anthony | Director | 1998-04-17 | 2006-08-07 |
| GIBBINGS, Peter Walter, Sir | Director | — | 1999-06-08 |
| GOLDSTEIN, Eli Emanuel | Director | 2017-10-22 | 2026-04-17 |
| GORDON, David Sorrell | Director | — | 1993-05-09 |
| HALE, John Hampton | Director | — | 1994-12-31 |
| HANGER, David Jonathon | Director | 1996-11-22 | 2005-03-31 |
| HARVEY-JONES, John Henry, Sir | Director | — | 1994-07-12 |
| HOBERMAN, Brent Shawzin | Director | 2016-01-01 | 2018-12-31 |
| HOFFMAN, Philip Joseph | Director | 2014-07-22 | 2015-10-16 |
| JOLL, James Anthony Boyd | Director | 1995-10-03 | 1999-10-02 |
| JOWELL, Tessa Jane Helen Douglas, Baroness | Director | 2015-11-17 | 2018-05-12 |
| KARP, Alexander Caedmon, Dr | Director | 2016-02-01 | 2019-11-22 |
| MALIK, Kiran Bir Singh | Director | 1997-07-21 | 2005-07-12 |
| MALLINCKRODT, Philip Stephan Arnold | Director | 2017-07-18 | 2022-10-03 |
| MENGEL, Philip R | Director | 1999-07-27 | 2014-01-21 |
| MICKLETHWAIT, Richard John | Director | 2006-05-23 | 2015-01-30 |
| MORRIS, Nigel William | Director | 2004-05-28 | 2010-07-19 |
| MOSER, Claus, Lord | Director | — | 1993-07-13 |
| PENNANT-REA, Rupert Lascelles | Director | 2006-08-22 | 2018-07-17 |
| PENNANT-REA, Rupert Lascelles | Director | — | 1993-03-31 |
| RASHBASS, Andrew | Director | 2008-07-16 | 2013-07-18 |
| RIDDING, John Joseph | Director | 2014-02-12 | 2015-10-16 |
| ROBERTSON, Simon Manwaring, Sir | Director | 2005-07-28 | 2017-07-18 |
| SCARDINO, Marjorie Morris, Dame | Director | 1993-04-05 | 1996-12-31 |
| SCHMIDT, Eric | Director | 2013-10-28 | 2015-10-15 |
| STEVENSON OF CODDENHAM, Henry Dennistoun, The Lord | Director | 1998-07-09 | 2011-07-21 |
| STIBBS, Christopher John | Director | 2005-07-26 | 2019-08-30 |
| SWANSON, Luke | Director | 2011-07-22 | 2015-10-16 |
| TAYLOR, Christopher | Director | 1995-10-09 | 1996-12-31 |
| VINKEN, Pierre Jacques | Director | — | 1992-09-21 |
| WAGENER, Jeremy Rupert Sinclair | Director | — | 1995-06-30 |
| WILSON, Robert Peter, Sir | Director | 2002-05-01 | 2009-07-16 |
| WOOD, Peter John | Director | 1998-07-01 | 2004-03-30 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Stephen John Richard Smith | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2026-04-20 | Active |
| Lady Lynn Forester De Rothshild | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2023-04-26 | Ceased 2026-04-20 |
| Exor N.V. | Corporate entity | Shares 25–50% | 2016-12-11 | Active |
| Exor S. P. A. | Corporate entity | Shares 25–50% | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2016-12-11 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 295 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-08-03 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-07-25 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2026-05-20 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-05-20 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-05-07 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2026-05-06 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-05-06 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-05-06 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2026-05-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-01-28 | AAMD | accounts | Accounts amended with accounts type group | |
| 2025-10-29 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-10-15 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-08-21 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-11-19 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-10-17 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-09-02 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-11-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-07-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-01-24 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 14
- 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.