A.f.blakemore and Son Limited
Registered name: A.F.BLAKEMORE AND SON LIMITED
Part of Harriet Holdings Limited groupA.f.blakemore and Son Limited made £1.2bn revenue and £3.3m profit in the year to 28 Apr 2024.
A.f.blakemore and Son Limited’s revenue was £1.2bn in the year to 28 Apr 2024, with £3.3m profit and 7,007 employees. The company is classified under “non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco” and is based in Willenhall; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Willenhall, West Midlands
- Age
- 81 yrs · since 1944
- 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 | 28 Apr 2023 | 27 Apr 2024 | 28 Apr 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £1.2bn | £1.2bn | £1.2bn |
| Cost of sales | −£965m | −£901m | −£901m |
| Gross profit | £275m | £283m | £283m |
| Operating profit | £5.2m | £12.3m | £12.3m |
| Profit before tax | £66k | £5.4m | £5.4m |
| Profit after tax | £37k | £3.3m | £3.3m |
| Profit (best available) | £37k | £3.3m | £3.3m |
| Employees (average) | 7,297 | 7,007 | 7,007 |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | 0% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Gross margin | 22.2% | 23.9% | 23.9% |
| Revenue per employee | £170k | £169k | £169k |
| Profit per employee | £5 | £478 | £478 |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▼4.6% | — |
| Profit growth | — | ▲8943% | — |
| Headcount growth | — | ▼4% | — |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Jan 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Feb 2026 | Accounts · bulk data Jan 2025 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 0.3%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 23.9%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £169k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £478
- 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
- —
- Now 7,007
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Ownership chain
- Harriet Holdings Limitedultimate parent75–100%
- A.f.blakemore and Son Limitedthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Subsidiaries (3)
- Fortify LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Hockmeyer Motors LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Vegan Store LtdFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 28 Apr 2024 (profit £3.3m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Jan 2025. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Updated from Companies House on 23 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.