W.H.BOWKER LIMITED
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Cash
£2m
+27.3% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£28m
+2.5% vs 2024
Employees
953
+5.9% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£1.9m
-29.8% lowest in 3 filed years
Watch the reel
Our short-form breakdown of W.H.BOWKER LIMITED's latest filing
W.H. Bowker added nearly £60m to the top line, but heavier admin and finance costs meant the bottom line actually shrank. 🚛📉 #Logistics #BusinessNews #UKBusiness #TheAccounts
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.
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 | £303,449,000 | £322,453,000 | £381,397,000 | +18.3% | |
| Operating profit | £10,020,000 | £6,001,000 | £5,885,000 | -1.9% | |
| Profit before tax | £7,288,000 | £2,712,000 | £1,903,000 | -29.8% | |
| Net profit | £5,244,000 | £1,789,000 | £968,000 | -45.9% | |
| Cash | £1,954,000 | £1,596,000 | £2,032,000 | +27.3% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £53,519,000 | £63,646,000 | £73,029,000 | +14.7% | |
| Net assets | — | £27,648,000 | £28,336,000 | +2.5% | |
| Equity | — | £27,648,000 | £28,336,000 | +2.5% | |
| Average employees | — | 900 | 953 | +5.9% | |
| Wages | — | £32,733,000 | £37,238,000 | +13.8% | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | £805,000 | £858,000 | +6.6% |
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 | 3.3% | 1.9% | 1.5% | |
| Net margin | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.3% | |
| Return on capital employed | 18.7% | 9.4% | 8.1% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | — | 79.7% | 81.7% | |
| Current ratio | 1.12x | 0.97x | 0.95x | |
| Interest cover | 3.67x | 1.82x | 1.42x |
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
- Grant Thornton UK LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Based on the available facilities alongside the current economic outlook, the Directors have prepared cash flow forecasts for a period of more than 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements... Under both scenarios, given the headroom that the Group has across its facilities, the forecasts suggest that the Group will have sufficient funds to continue operating for the foreseeable future. Consequently, the Directors are confident that the Group and associated companies 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.”
Group structure
- W.H.BOWKER LIMITED · parent
- Bowker Preston Limited 100%
- Bowker Blackburn Limited 100%
- Bowker Ribble Valley Limited 100%
- Bowker Motorcycles Limited 100%
- Bowker Performance Cars Limited 100%
- The Used Car Warehouse Limited 100%
- James Nuttall (Holdings) Limited 100%
- W.H. Bowker (Rochdale) Limited 100%
- Queensway Commercials Limited 100%
- James Nuttall (Developments) Limited 100%
Significant events
- “On 30 November 2025, following a strategic review by the Board, Bowker Preston Limited ceased trading as a BMW Motorrad Centre. This decision formed part of a broader realignment of the Group's portfolio to ensure optimal use of capital and alignment with future growth opportunities.”
- “Subsequent to the cessation of BMW Motorrad operations, the property formerly occupied by Bowker Motorrad underwent redevelopment. In the first quarter of 2026, the site was successfully relaunched as a motor dealership, operating under the Chery, Changan and Bowker Select brands. The redevelopment represents a strategic repositioning of the site, enabling the Group to broaden its offering and support its longer-term growth strategy.”
- “In August 2025, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on a series of linked cases concerning the disclosure of motor finance commissions. The Court overturned aspects of the Court of Appeal's earlier decision, but confirmed that, in certain circumstances, the receipt of undisclosed or inadequately disclosed commission could give rise to an unfair relationship under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.”
- “Following the acquisition of the previously leased Knowsley premises during 2025, in early 2026 the Group acquired the freehold of a previously leased premises at Selby. The acquisition was funded via a combination of bank debt and existing reserves.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
12 active · 5 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEE, Andrew John | Secretary | 2018-11-30 | — | — |
| BOWKER, Anthony Paul | Director | 2004-01-19 | Apr 1968 | British |
| BOWKER, Caroline Jennifer | Director | 2004-01-19 | Jun 1959 | British |
| BOWKER, Hilary | Director | 2004-01-19 | Jun 1963 | British |
| BOWKER, Kenneth Neil | Director | — | Mar 1944 | British |
| BOWKER, Kenneth Neil | Director | — | Apr 1965 | British |
| BOWKER, Vicki | Director | 2004-01-19 | Jun 1969 | British |
| BOWKER, William Henry | Director | 2024-12-18 | Aug 1988 | British |
| BOWKER, William Henry | Director | 1996-12-13 | May 1960 | British |
| GEE, Andrew John | Director | 2019-02-01 | Jun 1965 | British |
| GRIFFITHS, Elizabeth Helen | Director | — | Apr 1962 | British |
| KAY, Christopher | Director | 2017-04-26 | Mar 1977 | British |
Show 5 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEPPENSTALL, David | Secretary | — | 2000-01-04 |
| THOMASON, Darren | Secretary | 2000-01-04 | 2018-11-30 |
| BOWKER, William Henry | Director | — | 2017-09-18 |
| HEPPENSTALL, David | Director | — | 2000-06-02 |
| WHITTLE, Geoffrey Foster | Director | — | 2014-06-20 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr William Henry Bowker | Individual | Shares 25–50%, Voting 25–50%, Voting 25–50% (as firm) | 2025-11-18 | Active |
| Mr William Henry Bowker | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2025-11-18 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 194 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-28 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2026-07-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-11-20 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-11-20 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-10-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-07-10 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-12-20 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-11-08 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-10-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-08-01 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-07-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-07-04 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-01-11 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2023-10-23 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-07-26 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2022-10-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-07-13 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2021-11-10 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-08-06 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2020-10-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 5
- 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.