ARNOLD CLARK AUTOMOBILES LIMITED
Operating under the Arnold Clark brand, the company is a family-owned independent motor retailer based in Scotland that provides new and used vehicle sales, vehicle maintenance, and car rental services across the UK.
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Cash
£197m
+22.7% vs 2024
Net assets
£1.6bn
+3.8% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
11,743
+1.4% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£113m
-6.8% lowest in 3 filed years
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 | £4,964,800,000 | £5,152,300,000 | £5,560,000,000 | +7.9% | |
| Operating profit | £148,600,000 | £155,600,000 | £149,300,000 | -4% | |
| Profit before tax | £116,000,000 | £120,700,000 | £112,500,000 | -6.8% | |
| Net profit | £85,000,000 | £84,900,000 | £79,400,000 | -6.5% | |
| Cash | £458,700,000 | £160,500,000 | £197,000,000 | +22.7% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £1,935,600,000 | £1,997,200,000 | — | — | |
| Net assets | £1,510,600,000 | £1,573,600,000 | £1,632,800,000 | +3.8% | |
| Equity | £1,510,600,000 | £1,573,600,000 | £1,632,800,000 | +3.8% | |
| Average employees | 11,694 | 11,586 | 11,743 | +1.4% | |
| Wages | £414,500,000 | £430,900,000 | £445,100,000 | +3.3% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £10,600,000 | £14,900,000 | £16,000,000 | +7.4% |
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 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.7% | |
| Net margin | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.4% | |
| Return on capital employed | 7.7% | 7.8% | — | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 53.3% | 53.7% | 57.0% | |
| Current ratio | 1.23x | 1.18x | 1.16x | |
| Interest cover | 3.11x | 2.68x | 2.75x |
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
- IFRS
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- Deloitte LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Group has adequate resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the accounts.”
Group structure
- ARNOLD CLARK AUTOMOBILES LIMITED · parent
- Arnold Clark Finance Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark Insurance Services Limited 100%
- Artex Insurance (ACA?) IC Limited 100%
- Assure Alarms Limited 100%
- Bumblebee EV Limited 100%
- Central Car Auctions Limited 100%
- GTG Training Limited 100%
- ID Computer Software Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark Energy Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark (Malta) Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark Leasing Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark Vehicle Management Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark Charge Limited 100%
- Arnold Clark (Volvo) Limited 100%
Significant events
- “The Group is currently defending two civil court actions, one in England and one in Scotland, for damages by or on behalf of individuals whose data may have been stolen as a result of the cyber-attack on the Group in December 2022.”
- “In February 2024, following decisions made by the Financial Ombudsman, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) initiated a review into historic motor finance commission arrangements.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 11 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THORPE, Stuart Kenneth | Secretary | 2013-11-19 | — | — |
| BORRIE, Russell Edgar | Director | 2016-01-22 | Feb 1969 | British |
| CLARK, John Arnold | Director | 2016-01-22 | Jun 1973 | British |
| CLARK, Philomena Butler, Lady | Director | — | Jan 1947 | British |
| COOPER, David Martin | Director | 2016-01-22 | Jan 1973 | British |
| HAWTHORNE, Edward | Director | 1998-08-01 | Dec 1966 | British |
Show 11 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| KERR, Dugald Ferguson | Secretary | — | 2011-05-27 |
| MCLEAN, Kenneth John | Secretary | 2011-05-27 | 2013-11-19 |
| CLARK, John Arnold | Director | — | 2017-04-10 |
| GALL, Walter Glen Paterson | Director | — | 2024-02-05 |
| GRAHAM, James Turner | Director | 2021-12-01 | 2024-02-05 |
| GRANT, Scott Ross | Director | 2021-12-01 | 2024-02-05 |
| HENRY, Carol Shirley | Director | 2021-12-01 | 2024-02-05 |
| KERR, Dugald Ferguson | Director | 1998-08-01 | 2011-05-27 |
| MCLEAN, Kenneth John | Director | 1998-08-01 | 2021-12-01 |
| WALLACE, Hugh Dawson | Director | 1998-08-01 | 2015-05-19 |
| WILLIES, Scott | Director | 1998-08-01 | 2021-12-01 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Adam Hugh Wallace Clark | Individual | Shares 25–50% (as trust), Voting 25–50% (as trust) | 2021-09-16 | Active |
| Mr John Arnold Clark | Individual | Shares 75–100% (as trust), Voting 75–100% (as trust) | 2021-09-16 | Active |
| Jagc Holdings | Corporate entity | Shares 25–50% | 2021-09-16 | Active |
| Sir John Arnold Clark | Individual | Significant influence | 2016-07-01 | Ceased 2017-04-10 |
| Lady Philomena Butler Clark | Individual | Shares 75–100% (as trust), Voting 75–100% (as trust) | 2016-07-01 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 184 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2024-01-10 MA Memorandum articles
- 2024-01-03 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-11 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2026-03-26 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2026-03-23 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-06-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-06-26 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-06-12 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2025-04-07 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-11-07 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-06 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-06 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-06 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-06 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-03-25 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-02-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-02-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-02-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-02-05 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-01-10 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2024-01-03 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2023-09-22 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 3
- 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.