ELSEVIER LIMITED
Operating as the UK arm of the publicly traded RELX Group, the company is a major academic publisher providing scientific, technical, and medical content, including renowned journals such as The Lancet and digital databases like ScienceDirect and Scopus.
Get an alert when ELSEVIER LIMITED files next
Leroy will email you the moment a new filing lands at Companies House — one short note per filing, nothing else.
Cash
£547k
-12.2% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£805m
+3.1% vs 2024
Employees
1,746
+0.9% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£304m
-10.9% lowest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Technology 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 | £812,721,000 | £842,482,000 | £852,877,000 | +1.2% | |
| Operating profit | £297,229,000 | £284,576,000 | £251,671,000 | -11.6% | |
| Profit before tax | £335,777,000 | £341,475,000 | £304,326,000 | -10.9% | |
| Net profit | £257,006,000 | £273,649,000 | £235,963,000 | -13.8% | |
| Cash | £1,220,000 | £623,000 | £547,000 | -12.2% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £823,625,000 | £782,569,000 | £811,214,000 | +3.7% | |
| Net assets | £823,044,000 | £780,681,000 | £804,811,000 | +3.1% | |
| Equity | £823,044,000 | £780,681,000 | £804,811,000 | +3.1% | |
| Average employees | 1,653 | 1,731 | 1,746 | +0.9% | |
| Wages | £139,034,000 | £151,837,000 | £156,661,000 | +3.2% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £2,180,000 | £2,129,000 | £2,133,000 | +0.2% |
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 | 36.6% | 33.8% | 29.5% | |
| Net margin | 31.6% | 32.5% | 27.7% | |
| Return on capital employed | 36.1% | 36.4% | 31.0% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 40.8% | 42.5% | 41.8% | |
| Current ratio | 1.68x | 1.53x | 1.72x | |
| Interest cover | — | — | 40.24x |
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 6 times since incorporation
- ELSEVIER LIMITED 2003-01-02 → present
- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LIMITED 1994-01-04 → 2003-01-02
- PERGAMON PRESS LIMITED 1989-07-31 → 1994-01-04
- MAXWELL PERGAMON MACMILLAN PLC 1989-04-28 → 1989-07-31
- PERGAMON PRESS PLC 1988-05-19 → 1989-04-28
- PERGAMON JOURNALS LIMITED 1986-03-05 → 1988-05-19
- GALAGAN LIMITED 1986-01-24 → 1986-03-05
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of 12 months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.”
Group structure
- ELSEVIER LIMITED · parent
- AGRM Solutions CV 33%
- SciBite Ltd 100%
Significant events
- “The disposal recognised during the year relates to the write-off of the investment in SciBite Limited following its dissolution on 07 August 2025.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 31 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2016-11-16 | — | — |
| BESSON, Kumsal Bayazit | Director | 2019-02-15 | Aug 1974 | Turkish |
| CASSAR, Edward Mark | Director | 2020-09-16 | Mar 1971 | British |
| WHAYMAN, Stuart Mark | Director | 2014-05-12 | Apr 1973 | British |
Show 31 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| OLDALE, John Keith | Secretary | — | 1992-07-31 |
| MAWLAW SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 1992-07-31 | 2010-10-29 |
| TMF CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2010-10-29 | 2016-11-16 |
| BAKER, Nicholas John | Director | 2009-12-01 | 2011-11-30 |
| BARRETT, Barbara | Director | 1998-04-01 | 2006-04-11 |
| BLAKE, Christopher | Director | 1997-04-01 | 1998-10-15 |
| BOSWOOD, Michael Gordon | Director | — | 1996-09-19 |
| CRESPI, Laura Claire | Director | 2018-05-22 | 2020-10-31 |
| DAVIES, Timothy Lloyd | Director | — | 1995-04-28 |
| ENGSTROM, Erik Nils | Director | 2004-09-01 | 2009-12-01 |
| GIBSON, Christopher Alan | Director | 2003-06-17 | 2006-03-30 |
| HAANK, Derk | Director | 1999-04-12 | 2003-06-18 |
| HOWE, Gavin Anthony | Director | 1998-12-01 | 2006-03-30 |
| JONGEJAN, Arie | Director | 2004-04-14 | 2004-12-31 |
| KELS, James John Francis | Director | — | 1995-04-28 |
| KITSON, Ruth Anne | Director | 2011-11-30 | 2023-08-02 |
| LOMAS, David Anthony | Director | 2006-03-30 | 2014-05-12 |
| MILES, Paul Michael | Director | 2010-02-15 | 2016-03-22 |
| MOBED, Rohinton | Director | 2016-10-24 | 2019-02-15 |
| MOON, Anna Farley | Director | 2006-03-30 | 2009-04-02 |
| MOON, Anna Farley | Director | 1998-04-01 | 2006-03-30 |
| MOS, Martin Peter | Director | 2003-04-11 | 2003-06-18 |
| MUNRO, Robert Kenneth Campbell | Director | 2009-03-13 | 2014-09-22 |
| NEWBY, Jonathan Paul | Director | 1999-01-01 | 2000-05-05 |
| SHEPHERD, Peter Thomas, Doctor | Director | 1995-09-26 | 1996-06-20 |
| SPRUIJT, Herman | Director | 1994-12-08 | 1999-04-12 |
| THOMPSON, Simon | Director | 2016-03-22 | 2018-05-22 |
| VAN CAMPENHOUT, Hermanus Marius Paul | Director | 2005-01-01 | 2009-12-01 |
| VAUGHAN, Dominic Giles | Director | 2001-01-22 | 2006-03-30 |
| VERHAGEN, Frank | Director | 1995-09-26 | 1998-04-01 |
| VISSCHER, Frans Herbert Jan | Director | 1996-09-19 | 1997-06-01 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relx (Uk) Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2020-04-28 |
| Relx (Uk) Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 254 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2023-10-11 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-06-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-04-21 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2026-04-21 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-08-29 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-06-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-07-15 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-06-14 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-10-11 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2023-10-06 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2023-08-11 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-06-25 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-06-12 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-07-01 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-06-27 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-06-28 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-06-22 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2021-03-10 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2020-11-06 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2020-11-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
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.