H.J. Lea Oakes Limited
Registered name: H.J. LEA OAKES LIMITED
Part of Agri Feed Holdings Limited groupH.J. Lea Oakes Limited made £161m revenue and £660k profit in the year to 31 Aug 2025.
H.J. Lea Oakes Limited’s revenue grew 8% to £161m in the year to 31 Aug 2025, with £660k profit and 125 employees. The company is classified under “wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds” and is based in Nantwich; we hold 4 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Nantwich, North West
- Age
- 99 yrs · since 1927
- Type
- Private Limited Company
Part of a group. The filing indicates this company sits within a group structure, so its results may depend on intra-group trading and it may be hard to replicate independently.
Key figures
Badges are automated estimates derived from the filed figures — not statements of fact about the company.
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Aug 2022 | 31 Aug 2023 | 31 Aug 2024 | 31 Aug 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | ||||
| Revenue (turnover) | £141m | £170m | £149m | £161m |
| Cost of sales | £128m | £156m | £135m | £144m |
| Gross profit | £12.6m | £13.4m | £14.2m | £17.1m |
| Operating profit | £91.8k | £222k | £174k | £871k |
| Profit before tax | £89.9k | £217k | £167k | £864k |
| Profit after tax | £108k | £149k | −£96.4k | £660k |
| Profit (best available) | £108k | £149k | −£96.4k | £660k |
| Staff costs | £4.7m | £5.1m | £6.2m | £6.6m |
| Employees (average) | 114 | 118 | 121 | 125 |
| Ratios | ||||
| Profit margin | 0.1% | 0.1% | −0.1% | 0.4% |
| Gross margin | 8.9% | 7.9% | 9.5% | 10.6% |
| Revenue per employee | £1.2m | £1.4m | £1.2m | £1.3m |
| Profit per employee | £946 | £1.3k | −£796 | £5.3k |
| Growth (year on year) | ||||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲20.3% | ▼11.9% | ▲7.6% |
| Profit growth | — | ▲38.3% | ▼164.6% | — |
| Headcount growth | — | ▲3.5% | ▲2.5% | ▲3.3% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | ||||
| Cash at bank | £15.3k | £64.3k | £1.2k | £20.1k |
| Net assets | £2.4m | £2.6m | £2.5m | £3.1m |
| Fixed assets | £846k | £1.5m | £1.7m | £2m |
| Current assets | £19.4m | £18m | £18.7m | £20.9m |
| Debtors | £16.5m | £14.8m | £15.7m | £17.9m |
| Source | FullAccounts · bulk data May 2024 | FullAccounts · bulk data May 2024 | FullAccounts · bulk data May 2025 | FullAccounts · bulk data May 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 0.4%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 10.6%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £1.3m
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £5.3k
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- 1.2%
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- —
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- 11.1%
- Money owed by customers. Low = customers pay quickly.
Balance-sheet signals
Year-on-year changes in filed balance-sheet items. They can hint at momentum (or investment) but are not revenue or profit and must not be read as such.
- Net assets
- ▲27%
- Now £3.1m
- Cash at bank
- ▲1609%
- Now £20.1k
- Headcount
- ▲3%
- Now 125
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- ▲15%
- Now £2m
Group structure
Ownership chain
- Agri Feed Holdings Limitedultimate parent75–100%
- H.J. Lea Oakes Limitedthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Sister companies (4)
- Oakes Millers LimitedRev. £150m · Profit £2.6m
- Dodson & Horrell LimitedFigures not disclosed
- HJ Lea Equine LimitedFigures not disclosed
- M.e. Waterhouse LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
- Grainco LimitedSouth Shields · Wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds
- Revenue
- £238m
- Profit
- £4m
- Staff
- 59
- A. Poortman (London) LimitedLondon · Wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds
- Revenue
- £96.1m
- Profit
- £2.6m
- Staff
- 33
- Gemcom LimitedLondon · Wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds
- Revenue
- £90.5m
- Profit
- £1.7m
- Staff
- 21
Sources
Latest figures from FullAccounts for the year to 31 Aug 2025 (profit £660k), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published May 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Updated from Companies House on 11 Oct 2026
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.