CLAYS LTD.
Operating as a subsidiary of the Italian print group Elcograf, the company is a Suffolk-based book printing and binding specialist that produces monochrome paperbacks and hardbacks for publishing clients.
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Cash
£10m
-47.2% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£51m
+7% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
988
+16.5% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£8.3m
-30.4% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Industrials 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 | £96,669,117 | £102,155,446 | £116,220,195 | +13.8% | |
| Operating profit | £10,003,672 | £11,964,853 | £8,191,295 | -31.5% | |
| Profit before tax | £9,928,738 | £11,872,398 | £8,257,790 | -30.4% | |
| Net profit | £7,536,449 | £8,934,428 | £6,265,462 | -29.9% | |
| Cash | £11,987,567 | £19,805,639 | £10,461,873 | -47.2% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £47,644,426 | £52,729,034 | £56,820,269 | +7.8% | |
| Net assets | £40,824,934 | £47,251,732 | £50,537,864 | +7% | |
| Equity | £40,824,934 | £47,251,732 | £50,537,864 | +7% | |
| Average employees | 819 | 848 | 988 | +16.5% | |
| Wages | £30,080,073 | £32,789,898 | £39,861,592 | +21.6% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £389,070 | £400,570 | £400,570 | 0% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £15,000 | £15,000 | £15,000 | 0% | |
| Highest paid director | £329,070 | £323,070 | £323,070 | 0% |
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 | 10.3% | 11.7% | 7.0% | |
| Net margin | 7.8% | 8.7% | 5.4% | |
| Return on capital employed | 21.0% | 22.7% | 14.4% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 41.1% | 35.5% | 38.0% | |
| Current ratio | 2.10x | 2.48x | 2.06x |
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 1 time since incorporation
- CLAYS LTD. 1989-12-01 → present
- RICHARD CLAY LTD 1938-07-14 → 1989-12-01
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Lovewell Blake LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Group has generated sufficient financial resources from its activities to allow the directors to believe that the Group is well placed to manage its business risks successfully in the current challenging economic climate.”
Group structure
- CLAYS LTD. · parent
- TJ Clays Limited 100%
Significant events
- “In February 2025, Clays Ltd acquired TJ Books Ltd (now renamed TJ Clays Limited).”
- “In April 2026 the Company purchased the property known as Clays Printing Works, Popson Street, Bungay, which it previously leased, together with the 2 other smaller properties on the same site.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
7 active · 28 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUOMO, Edoardo | Secretary | 2022-05-06 | — | — |
| CUOMO, Edoardo | Director | 2020-05-04 | Jul 1992 | Italian |
| HULLEY, John Paul | Director | 2015-11-27 | Aug 1963 | British |
| LEVAGGI, Michael Victor | Director | 2024-01-22 | Oct 1964 | British |
| OROFINO, Michele | Director | 2024-01-22 | Jan 1992 | Italian |
| POZZONI, Mario Francesco | Director | 2018-06-05 | Nov 1958 | Italian |
| VERCELLI DEQUARTI, Maurizio Luca | Director | 2018-06-05 | Sep 1967 | Italian |
Show 28 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| FATTAL, Daniel | Secretary | 2015-11-01 | 2018-04-30 |
| HARRIS, Philip Charles | Secretary | — | 2015-11-01 |
| HULLEY, John Paul | Secretary | 2018-09-11 | 2022-05-06 |
| ARMITAGE, Matthew Robert | Director | 2009-08-06 | 2018-04-30 |
| CAMPBELL, Angus | Director | 2000-09-25 | 2008-03-07 |
| CLARKE, Timothy William | Director | 1996-08-20 | 2002-05-24 |
| CLAY, Andrew John | Director | 2001-01-01 | 2015-11-01 |
| CLAY, Andrew John | Director | — | 1997-08-01 |
| EDWARDS, Brian Charles | Director | — | 2009-08-03 |
| FOYSTER, Ian Keith | Director | — | 1997-05-30 |
| GAVRON OF HIGHGATE, Robert, Lord | Director | — | 1994-07-01 |
| GRAY, Paul Bradley | Director | 2014-08-01 | 2018-04-30 |
| HARRISON, Michael Leslie | Director | 1995-05-01 | 1996-07-31 |
| ICETON, Gary | Director | — | 2000-10-01 |
| JOHNSON, Stephen Terence | Director | 2002-05-24 | 2013-03-31 |
| KARKLINS, George Robert | Director | — | 1996-08-01 |
| KENYON, Ian Peter | Director | — | 1994-03-31 |
| KENYON, Ian Peter | Director | — | 1994-03-31 |
| LADD, Kenneth Peter | Director | — | 1994-07-01 |
| MARTELL, Patrick Neil | Director | 1994-09-20 | 2014-11-27 |
| MCFARLAN, Kate Patricia | Director | 2018-09-11 | 2023-12-31 |
| MCFARLAN, Kate Patricia | Director | 2000-08-14 | 2017-03-31 |
| MORLEY, Raymond Victor | Director | — | 1993-01-05 |
| MULLAN, Paul James | Director | 2006-06-21 | 2007-08-02 |
| NOWELL, Jonathan Charles Peter | Director | 2018-09-11 | 2023-12-31 |
| OKELL, Sarah Jane Margaret | Director | — | 2001-03-31 |
| SPRING, Andrew Mark | Director | 2015-11-27 | 2017-08-29 |
| YOUNG, Simon Jeremy | Director | 2000-11-21 | 2013-05-01 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Mario Pozzoni | Individual | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2018-04-30 | Active |
| St Ives Holdings Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2018-04-30 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 213 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2026-03-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-09-29 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-02-26 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-10-08 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-07-05 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-07-05 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-07-04 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-07-04 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-02-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-01-24 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-01-24 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-01-09 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-01-09 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-10-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-04-27 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-10 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-05-09 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2022-05-09 | AP03 | officers | Appoint person secretary company with name date | |
| 2022-05-09 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination 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.