VPK PACKAGING LTD
Formerly known as Rigid Containers, the company operates as the UK manufacturing arm of the Belgium-based VPK Group, producing corrugated paper and packaging.
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Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£20M
-33.6% vs 2023
Employees
802
+2.3% vs 2023
Profit before tax
-£12M
-347.1% vs 2023
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Basic Materials median
Accounts
2-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £166,925,836 | £154,129,517 | -7.7% | |
| Operating profit | £4,747,008 | -£12,045,077 | -353.7% | |
| Profit before tax | £4,833,969 | -£11,945,089 | -347.1% | |
| Net profit | £4,611,297 | -£10,149,176 | -320.1% | |
| Cash | — | — | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £40,844,013 | £26,687,794 | -34.7% | |
| Net assets | £30,173,290 | £20,024,114 | -33.6% | |
| Equity | £30,173,290 | £20,024,114 | -33.6% | |
| Average employees | 784 | 802 | +2.3% | |
| Wages | £29,201,089 | £32,446,310 | +11.1% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £354,648 | £404,406 | +14% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 2.8% | -7.8% | |
| Net margin | 2.8% | -6.6% | |
| Return on capital employed | 11.6% | -45.1% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 55.6% | 62.0% | |
| Current ratio | 1.29x | 0.73x | |
| Interest cover | 6.81x | -19.95x |
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.
Name history
Renamed 2 times since incorporation
- VPK PACKAGING LTD 2020-09-25 → present
- RIGID CONTAINERS LIMITED 1978-12-31 → 2020-09-25
- DESBOROUGH PACKAGING LIMITED 1934-08-02 → 1978-12-31
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton UK LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis which the directors consider to be appropriate for the following reasons. The directors have prepared cash flow forecasts that cover the period to June 2026. These demonstrate that the company anticipates being profitable and overall cash generative. The company is partially funded through a debt factoring arrangement provided by a fellow subsidiary of VPK Group NV, a bank loan guaranteed by VPK Group NV, together with other intercompany current accounts. The directors anticipate this funding arrangement to continue throughout the forecast period. Based on these forecasts and the anticipated continued support of the wider group, the directors are confident that the company will have sufficient funds to continue to meet its liabilities as they fall due for at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements and therefore have prepared the financial statements on a going concern basis.”
Significant events
- “VPK Packaging Limited has on 4th February 2025, entered into a joint venture with McLaren packaging, headquartered in Port Glasgow, Scotland. The new combined business is named McLaren Corrugate Limited.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 34 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUMLEY, Kelly Margaret | Director | 2023-06-21 | Jun 1976 | British |
| MACHARIS, Pierre Ivan Rene | Director | 2000-11-01 | Jan 1962 | Belgian |
| PEETERS, Erik | Director | 2016-11-01 | Sep 1969 | Belgian |
Show 34 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRAVETT, Simon Morford | Secretary | 1998-06-18 | 1999-10-12 |
| HEADLAND, Murray Albert | Secretary | — | 1998-06-10 |
| KHAWAJA, Saqib Saeed | Secretary | 2019-04-01 | 2023-04-24 |
| LAKE, Noel Edward Greensit | Secretary | 1999-10-12 | 2003-01-30 |
| LEDEGEN, Luc Petrus Maria | Secretary | 2006-09-01 | 2013-09-30 |
| LUYCKX, Jan | Secretary | 2003-02-12 | 2006-09-01 |
| MAYNARD, Lars Olaf | Secretary | 2013-10-21 | 2019-04-01 |
| SCHOONJANS, Josef Monia Andre | Secretary | 2005-10-01 | 2006-08-31 |
| ANDERSON, Jeremy Mark | Director | 2022-12-01 | 2025-04-11 |
| BAILEY, John Edward | Director | — | 1992-11-03 |
| BARBER, Paul James | Director | 2023-04-24 | 2023-06-21 |
| BARBER, Paul James | Director | 2022-07-25 | 2022-12-01 |
| BEAUMONT, Nigel Peter | Director | 2004-02-12 | 2008-05-31 |
| BURDITT, Philip Howard | Director | — | 1996-04-22 |
| BUSSEY, Edwin Charles John | Director | — | 1997-05-15 |
| COWARD, Richard John Walker | Director | 2008-06-01 | 2019-07-30 |
| DE MEYER, Geert | Director | 2004-02-12 | 2022-04-06 |
| GRAVETT, Simon Morford | Director | 1998-02-27 | 1999-10-12 |
| HANSSENS, Guy Jean Joseph Jacques | Director | 2004-02-12 | 2008-01-01 |
| HEADLAND, Murray Albert | Director | — | 1998-06-10 |
| HILSON, James Munro | Director | 1996-01-01 | 1996-11-15 |
| HOLDEN, Frank | Director | 1998-10-22 | 2003-02-05 |
| KHAWAJA, Saqib Saeed | Director | 2019-04-01 | 2023-04-24 |
| MACHARIS, Jean Paul Wilfrid | Director | 2000-11-01 | 2022-04-06 |
| MAYNARD, Lars Olaf | Director | 2013-10-21 | 2019-04-01 |
| RICHARDSON, David John | Director | 2019-07-30 | 2022-07-25 |
| ROSSEL, Christian | Director | 1998-12-17 | 2000-02-29 |
| SCHOONJANS, Jozef Maria Andre | Director | 2000-11-01 | 2016-10-31 |
| SMITH, Colin Alfred | Director | 1999-07-29 | 2003-01-29 |
| TREVITHICK, Christopher David | Director | 2008-01-01 | 2011-01-24 |
| VAN ACKER, Piet Libert Mia | Director | 2007-12-12 | 2010-01-01 |
| WARNE, Colin Donald | Director | — | 1997-12-23 |
| WOOTTON, John Edward Melville | Director | — | 1998-12-30 |
| WRIGHT, Alan Thomas | Director | — | 1999-03-31 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Jean-Paul Wilfred Macharis | Individual | Shares 25–50% (as firm) | 2016-11-01 | Ceased 2016-12-31 |
| Mr Pierre Ivan Rene Macharis | Individual | Shares 25–50% (as firm) | 2016-11-01 | Ceased 2016-12-31 |
| Vpk Packaging Group Nv | Corporate entity | Significant influence (as firm) | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2016-12-31 |
| Vpk Uk Holding Ltd | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 190 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2022-05-23 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-14 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-06-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-04-14 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-11-27 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-07-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-01-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-08-18 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2023-08-02 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-07-10 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-07-10 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-04-25 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-04-24 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-04-24 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2022-12-09 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2022-12-09 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-11-28 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-07-26 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-07-25 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2022-07-19 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-05-23 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 1
- 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.