W.h.bowker Limited
Registered name: W.H.BOWKER LIMITED
W.h.bowker Limited made £381m revenue and £968k profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025.
W.h.bowker Limited’s revenue grew 18% to £381m in the year to 31 Dec 2025, with £968k profit and 953 employees. The company is classified under “freight transport by road” and is based in Preston; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Preston, North West
- Age
- 85 yrs · since 1941
- Type
- Private Limited Company
Key figures
Badges are automated estimates derived from the filed figures — not statements of fact about the company.
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Dec 2023 | 31 Dec 2024 | 31 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £303m | £322m | £381m |
| Cost of sales | −£268m | −£286m | −£341m |
| Gross profit | £35.6m | £36.3m | £40.2m |
| Operating profit | £10m | £6m | £5.9m |
| Profit before tax | £7.3m | £2.7m | £1.9m |
| Profit after tax | £5.2m | £1.8m | £968k |
| Profit (best available) | £5.2m | £1.8m | £968k |
| Employees (average) | 853 | 900 | 953 |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | 1.7% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Gross margin | 11.7% | 11.3% | 10.5% |
| Revenue per employee | £356k | £358k | £400k |
| Profit per employee | £6.1k | £2k | £1k |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲6.3% | ▲18.3% |
| Profit growth | — | ▼65.9% | ▼45.9% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▲5.5% | ▲5.9% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Jul 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Jul 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Jul 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 0.3%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 10.5%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £400k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £1k
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- —
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- —
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- —
- 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
- —
- Now —
- Cash at bank
- —
- Now —
- Headcount
- ▲6%
- Now 953
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Subsidiaries (6)
- Bowker Blackburn LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Bowker Motorcycles LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Bowker Performance Cars LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Bowker Preston LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Bowker Ribble Valley LimitedFigures not disclosed
- James Nuttall (Holdings) LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
- Maritime Group LimitedFelixstowe · Freight transport by road
- Revenue
- £489m
- Profit
- £13.7m
- Staff
- 3,205
- Bulkhaul LimitedMiddlesbrough · Freight transport by road
- Revenue
- £205m
- Profit
- £27.9m
- Staff
- 526
- Palletline LimitedBirmingham · Freight transport by road
- Revenue
- £202m
- Profit
- £2.3m
- Staff
- 493
- A W Jenkinson Transport LimitedPenrith · Freight transport by road
- Revenue
- £157m
- Profit
- £2.5m
- Staff
- 1,042
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 31 Dec 2025 (profit £968k), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Jul 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.