FRONTLINE LIMITED
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Cash
£27m
+8.9% vs 2024
Net assets
£3m
+44.2% vs 2024
Employees
327
+4.5% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£2m
-0.7% lowest in 3 filed years
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
3 officer resignations in last 12 months
Multiple officers have left the board recently — see the People section for who.
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 | £192,093,000 | £197,340,000 | £198,458,000 | +0.6% | |
| Operating profit | £898,000 | £728,000 | £984,000 | +35.2% | |
| Profit before tax | £2,030,000 | £1,965,000 | £1,952,000 | -0.7% | |
| Net profit | £1,860,000 | £1,387,000 | £1,400,000 | +0.9% | |
| Cash | £31,515,000 | £25,254,000 | £27,495,000 | +8.9% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £3,957,000 | £2,792,000 | £3,535,000 | +26.6% | |
| Net assets | £3,217,000 | £2,104,000 | £3,034,000 | +44.2% | |
| Equity | £3,217,000 | £2,104,000 | £3,034,000 | +44.2% | |
| Average employees | 299 | 313 | 327 | +4.5% | |
| Wages | £13,259,000 | £14,698,000 | £16,088,000 | +9.5% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £592,000 | £647,000 | £689,000 | +6.5% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £25,000 | £28,000 | £28,000 | 0% | |
| Highest paid director | £375,000 | £410,000 | £390,000 | -4.9% |
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 | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | |
| Net margin | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.7% | |
| Return on capital employed | 22.7% | 26.1% | 27.8% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 95.2% | 97.4% | 96.5% | |
| Current ratio | 1.01x | 1.00x | 1.02x | |
| Interest cover | 2.78x | 3.66x | 5.96x |
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 4 times since incorporation
- FRONTLINE LIMITED 1993-12-10 → present
- BBC FRONTLINE LIMITED 1990-04-17 → 1993-12-10
- FRONTLINE (EMAP 1988-10-11 → 1990-04-17
- EMAP FRONTLINE LIMITED 1987-02-20 → 1988-10-11
- N.J. PUBLISHING CO. LIMITED(THE) 1937-07-08 → 1987-02-20
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Rödl & Partner Limited
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which the Directors consider to be appropriate for the following reasons.”
Group structure
- FRONTLINE LIMITED · parent
- Seymour International Limited 100%
- Seymour Distribution Limited 100%
- Routes to Retail Limited 100%
- Gold Key Media Limited 100%
Significant events
- “In June 2026 we announced a new partnership with News UK as it transitions its publisher copy allocation operations to Frontline.”
- “In July 2026, we announced that the Group had entered into new long-term wholesale agreements and that Frontline and Seymour managed titles would be distributed across Great Britain by Smiths News, commencing in April 2030.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
8 active · 61 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAIDWAN, Amrit Kaur | Director | 2026-07-01 | Jan 1990 | British |
| CONSTANDA, Dan | Director | 2025-12-03 | May 1970 | British |
| CORNWELL, Sean Enrico | Director | 2025-12-03 | Oct 1974 | British |
| HAYDEN, Lisa | Director | 2020-11-06 | Mar 1972 | British |
| HOWITT, Nicholas Paul | Director | 2008-04-29 | Apr 1967 | British |
| LANGFORD, Kevin Donald | Director | 2008-05-09 | Jan 1964 | British |
| PARTINGTON, Anna | Director | 2025-12-03 | May 1985 | British |
| STRAETMANS, Frank Carl | Director | 2009-12-04 | Apr 1971 | Belgian |
Show 61 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELSDON, Kate | Secretary | 2007-03-30 | 2007-09-28 |
| FOLLAND, Nicholas James | Secretary | 2002-01-01 | 2007-03-30 |
| NAREBOR, Torugbene Eniyekeye | Secretary | 2007-09-28 | 2008-04-29 |
| WALMSLEY, Derek Kerr | Secretary | 1991-09-26 | 2001-12-31 |
| BAUER GROUP SECRETARIAT LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2011-04-01 | 2026-05-08 |
| SISEC LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2008-04-29 | 2011-04-01 |
| ARCULUS, Thomas David Guy | Director | — | 1997-03-03 |
| ARTHUR, Marcus Peter | Director | 2006-04-03 | 2008-05-09 |
| BHANDARI, Rahul | Director | 1999-02-19 | 2003-10-13 |
| BLAND, Catherine Mary | Director | 2007-04-10 | 2010-05-24 |
| BRETT, Nicholas Richard John | Director | 2003-12-01 | 2006-04-03 |
| BRETT, Nicholas Richard John | Director | 1998-04-01 | 2003-12-01 |
| BUREAU, Thomas Pierre | Director | 2014-01-22 | 2025-10-31 |
| BURR, Leslie James | Director | — | 1998-05-01 |
| CARTER, David John | Director | 1998-05-01 | 2001-10-19 |
| COSTELLO, Kevin | Director | 2003-12-01 | 2021-10-28 |
| COSTELLO, Neil Christopher | Director | — | 1996-03-20 |
| COTTERILL, Vivien | Director | 2000-12-04 | 2003-03-17 |
| CURTIN, Simon | Director | 1995-06-29 | 2006-03-31 |
| DAUKES, Simon Francis | Director | 1998-05-01 | 2008-04-29 |
| DAVIDSON, Simon Anthony | Director | 2004-04-20 | 2009-08-28 |
| DEMPSEY, Paul Francis | Director | 1998-05-01 | 2001-09-17 |
| DEMPSEY, Paul Francis | Director | 1996-04-30 | 1997-11-11 |
| DUNCAN, Chris | Director | 2022-11-28 | 2024-03-29 |
| ELLIOT, Richard Emmerson | Director | 1999-09-27 | 2005-07-15 |
| EUAN, Deborah | Director | 2000-09-18 | 2006-05-05 |
| FREEMAN, Brian John | Director | 2009-03-09 | 2021-10-28 |
| FREEMAN, Brian John | Director | 2001-01-10 | 2003-12-15 |
| GADSBY, Christopher Michael | Director | 2001-11-21 | 2009-12-04 |
| GEOGHEGAN, Seamus | Director | 2001-01-10 | 2001-09-17 |
| GOODCHILD, David Paul | Director | 2004-12-24 | 2016-05-11 |
| GOUGH, Malcolm Howard | Director | 1994-09-07 | 2002-06-24 |
| GRIGSON, David John | Director | 1997-04-23 | 1998-05-01 |
| HAND, Kevin Lawrence | Director | — | 1998-05-01 |
| KEENAN, Paul Anthony | Director | 2001-09-17 | 2020-11-06 |
| LEVESCONTE, Nicole Marina | Director | 2008-04-29 | 2009-08-26 |
| LOVE, Ian David | Director | 1996-04-30 | 2003-08-29 |
| MCMILLAN, Glenn Douglas | Director | 1993-07-17 | 1996-03-20 |
| MISTRY, Dharmash Pravin | Director | 2002-06-24 | 2006-06-09 |
| MOLONEY, Thomas Charles | Director | 2001-09-17 | 2007-05-17 |
| MOLONEY, Thomas Charles | Director | — | 1998-05-01 |
| MORGAN, Gerard | Director | 1996-03-20 | 1999-05-07 |
| MUNRO-HALL, Robert James | Director | 2017-02-08 | 2022-03-31 |
| MYCOCK, Matthew | Director | 2006-03-06 | 2009-10-09 |
| OSBORNE, Peter Neil | Director | — | 1994-09-07 |
| PEACH, Leslie Trevor | Director | — | 1994-11-15 |
| PHIPPEN, Peter Sangster | Director | 2001-09-17 | 2014-01-02 |
| PHIPPEN, Peter Sangster | Director | 1992-11-24 | 1998-05-01 |
| PRENTICE, Stephen | Director | 2024-03-29 | 2026-06-30 |
| PULLAN, David Michael | Director | 2006-06-09 | 2007-02-22 |
| SCOTT, Hamish Andrew | Director | 1998-05-01 | 2001-06-29 |
| STOTT, Geoffrey Thomas | Director | — | 2004-02-27 |
| TASKER, Kerry Lynn | Director | 2003-12-01 | 2008-04-29 |
| TAYLOR, Simon Francis Graves | Director | — | 1998-05-01 |
| THOMAS, Henry Carlton | Director | 2006-07-31 | 2006-07-31 |
| THOMAS, John Anthony Griffiths | Director | — | 1994-09-07 |
| TINDALL, Simon Papillon | Director | — | 1994-09-07 |
| TRIPLOW, Charles George | Director | 1991-10-07 | 1998-05-01 |
| VERDON-ROE, Eric Alliott | Director | 1994-09-07 | 2009-03-20 |
| WHITE, Gary Charles | Director | 2005-10-18 | 2007-04-10 |
| WIGGLESWORTH, Lloyd John | Director | 1991-09-06 | 1996-03-08 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauer Consumer Media Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 323 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2026-10-06 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-10-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-05-19 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2026-02-23 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-02-23 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-02-23 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-12-04 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-12-03 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-10-02 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-11-19 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-10-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-04-11 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-04-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-12-05 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-10-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2022-12-12 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2022-11-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2022-10-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2022-04-12 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 10
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 4
- Officers resigned
- 3
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.