HODDER & STOUGHTON LIMITED
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Cash
£43k
-78.1% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£5.3m
-59.8% lowest in 3 filed years
Employees
500
+8% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£6.6m
-53% lowest in 3 filed years
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
Confirmation statement overdue
Due 2026-10-14.
-
3 officer resignations in last 12 months
Multiple officers have left the board recently — see the People section for who.
-
1 PSC ceased in last 24 months
Significant control changed hands — see the Ownership section.
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 | £189,513,314 | £178,639,676 | £197,517,620 | +10.6% | |
| Operating profit | £19,248,323 | £17,425,207 | £10,067,094 | -42.2% | |
| Profit before tax | £16,319,936 | £13,961,818 | £6,567,646 | -53% | |
| Net profit | £12,821,815 | £11,020,193 | £3,181,561 | -71.1% | |
| Cash | £56,238 | £197,020 | £43,170 | -78.1% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £15,562,794 | £13,082,987 | £5,284,682 | -59.6% | |
| Net assets | £15,562,794 | £13,082,987 | £5,264,547 | -59.8% | |
| Equity | £15,562,794 | £13,082,987 | £5,264,548 | -59.8% | |
| Average employees | 487 | 463 | 500 | +8% | |
| Wages | £26,330,850 | £26,599,778 | £28,601,072 | +7.5% | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — | — | — |
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 | 10.2% | 9.8% | 5.1% | |
| Net margin | 6.8% | 6.2% | 1.6% | |
| Return on capital employed | 123.7% | 133.2% | 190.5% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 89.4% | 91.3% | 97.1% | |
| Current ratio | 1.11x | 0.65x | 0.64x | |
| Interest cover | 6.57x | 5.03x | 2.87x |
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 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Constantin
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The company made a profit in both 2024 and 2025 when high inflation levels were present and does not indicate a going concern issue.”
Significant events
- “On 1 January 2025, the trade, assets and liabilities of Quercus Editions Limited were transferred to the Company.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 32 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRIGHT, Dylan Matthew | Secretary | 2026-04-01 | — | — |
| KITSON, Richard David | Director | 2025-10-01 | Jun 1977 | British |
| SHELLEY, David Richard | Director | 2017-12-12 | Apr 1976 | British |
| WRIGHT, Dylan Matthew | Director | 2026-04-01 | Mar 1973 | British |
Show 32 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| BROWN, Anthony Malcolm | Secretary | — | 2002-02-25 |
| BUCKLEY, Michael David | Secretary | 2004-06-15 | 2004-08-02 |
| DE CACQUERAY, Pierre | Secretary | 2005-05-03 | 2026-04-01 |
| FAIRBAIRN, Colin Graham Campbell | Secretary | 2002-02-25 | 2004-06-15 |
| ROBINSON, Stephen Leonard | Secretary | 2004-08-02 | 2005-05-03 |
| ADAM, Richard John | Director | 1996-04-30 | 1999-10-18 |
| ATTENBOROUGH, Michael Francis | Director | — | 1993-09-24 |
| ATTENBOROUGH, Philip John | Director | — | 1993-06-25 |
| BIGGS-DAVISON, Thomas George Julian | Director | — | 1993-08-31 |
| BROWN, Anthony Malcolm | Director | — | 1997-06-04 |
| COLEY, Paul Murray | Director | 1993-09-13 | 1995-07-05 |
| DE CACQUERAY, Pierre | Director | 2005-05-03 | 2026-04-01 |
| FAIRBAIRN, Colin Graham Campbell | Director | 2001-12-01 | 2004-06-15 |
| HAMILL, Keith | Director | 2000-01-17 | 2000-05-31 |
| HELY HUTCHINSON, Timothy Mark | Director | 1993-07-01 | 2017-12-12 |
| HODDER-WILLIAMS, James | Director | 2009-12-03 | 2022-03-31 |
| HUGHES, Henry Stuart | Director | — | 1994-02-07 |
| JOHNSON, Marlene | Director | 2007-06-13 | 2015-01-22 |
| MAJOR, Eric Patrick | Director | — | 1996-02-29 |
| MORTIMORE, Jon William | Director | 1999-10-18 | 2001-11-30 |
| MURRAY HILL, Hilary | Director | 2015-01-22 | 2025-10-01 |
| NEILD, Martin John | Director | 1999-09-03 | 2009-12-03 |
| OPZOOMER, Mark William | Director | 1995-01-23 | 1999-09-03 |
| ROBINSON, Stephen Leonard | Director | 2004-08-02 | 2005-05-03 |
| ROCHE, Peter Charles Kenneth | Director | 2007-06-13 | 2013-06-30 |
| STEVEN, Brian Michael | Director | — | 1997-06-04 |
| STILEMAN, Richard | Director | — | 1997-06-04 |
| TAPISSIER, Mary | Director | 1999-09-03 | 2007-02-05 |
| TRIBE, Elisabeth Jane | Director | 2012-08-02 | 2023-03-31 |
| WALTERS, Philip John Kedgerley | Director | 2006-05-24 | 2009-12-03 |
| WEBSTER, Thomas Peter | Director | 2009-12-03 | 2012-08-02 |
| WRIGHT, Patrick Michael Mckee | Director | — | 1993-08-31 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Hachette Group Sa | Corporate entity | Shares 50–75% | 2024-12-16 | Active |
| Vivendi Se | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2023-12-01 | Ceased 2024-12-16 |
| Hachette Uk Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
| Hachette Uk (Holdings) Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
| Lagardère Sa | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 221 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2026-01-27 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-04-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-04-01 | AP03 | officers | Appoint person secretary company with name date | |
| 2026-04-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-04-01 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2026-01-27 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2025-10-14 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-10-14 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-10-14 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-10-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-10-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-08-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-10-15 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-10-15 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-10-15 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-10-15 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-07-11 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-10-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-08-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-03-31 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 11
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 3
- 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.