How much does W F Howes Limited make?

W F Howes Limited reported revenue of £16.1m and £3m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025, according to its accounts filed at Companies House.

How many employees does W F Howes Limited have?

W F Howes Limited reported an average of 34 employees in the year to 31 Dec 2025.

Is W F Howes Limited profitable?

Yes — W F Howes Limited reported a profit of £3m in the year to 31 Dec 2025.

Company No. 03662159 · Incorporated 5 Nov 1998

W F Howes Limited

Registered name: W F HOWES LIMITED

Part of Opuspond Limited group

W F Howes Limited made £16.1m revenue and £3m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025. read from filing text

W F Howes Limited’s revenue fell 4% to £16.1m in the year to 31 Dec 2025, with £3m profit and 34 employees. The company is classified under “book publishing” and is based in Leicester; we hold 4 years of its filed accounts.

Full P&L filedSection J · Information and communicationSIC 58110Book publishing SIC 59200Sound recording and music publishing activities

Status: Active
Location: Leicester, East Midlands
Age: 27 yrs · since 1998
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. From the filing: “The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Opuspond Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales. Opuspond Limited is the immediate parent company. The financial statements of Opuspond Limite”

Latest accounts · year to 31 Dec 2025

Key figures

Revenue

£16.1m

Growth ▼3.7%

Profit

£3m

Growth ▼11.6%

Profit margin

18.8%

Gross 70.4%

Employees

Change ▲6.3%

Profit / employee

£88.9k

Revenue/employee £474k

Profitable streak

4yrs

Consecutive profitable years in our data

Badges are automated estimates derived from the filed figures — not statements of fact about the company.

4 filed years

Financial history

Multi-year financials, oldest to newest
Year to	31 Dec 2022	31 Dec 2023	31 Dec 2024	31 Dec 2025
Disclosure	Full P&Lread from filing text	Full P&Lread from filing text	Full P&Lread from filing text	Full P&Lread from filing text
Profit & loss
Revenue (turnover)	£12.7m	£13.5m	£16.7m	£16.1m
Cost of sales	£4.6m	£4.6m	£6.3m	£4.8m
Gross profit	£8.1m	£8.9m	£10.5m	£11.3m
Operating profit	£3.7m	£3m	£4.7m	£6m
Profit before tax	£3.7m	£3m	£4.7m	£4m
Profit after tax	£3m	£2.2m	£3.4m	£3m
Profit (best available)	£3m	£2.2m	£3.4m	£3m
Staff costs	£2.3m	£1.9m	£2m	£2.3m
Employees (average)	34	34	32	34
Ratios
Profit margin	23.8%	16.6%	20.4%	18.8%
Gross margin	63.7%	65.9%	62.6%	70.4%
Revenue per employee	£373k	£397k	£523k	£474k
Profit per employee	£88.9k	£66k	£107k	£88.9k
Growth (year on year)
Revenue growth	—	▲6.5%	▲24%	▼3.7%
Profit growth	—	▼25.8%	▲52.4%	▼11.6%
Headcount growth	—	0%	▼5.9%	▲6.3%
Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue
Cash at bank	£5.2m	£864k	£1.6m	£1.1m
Net assets	£15.8m	£18.1m	£21.5m	£24.5m
Fixed assets	£3.1m	£3.7m	£3.9m	£5.8m
Current assets	£15.7m	£17.3m	£21.3m	£22.3m
Debtors	£318k	£215k	£96.6k	£382k
Deferred income	£2.1m	£2.8m	£3.4m	£3.4m
Source	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Apr 2025	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2026

Derived from the latest filing

How the business works

Profit margin: 18.8%; Profit ÷ revenue.
Gross margin: 70.4%; Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
Revenue per employee: £474k; Revenue ÷ average employees.
Profit per employee: £88.9k; Profit ÷ average employees.
Cash conversion: —; Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
Fixed assets ÷ revenue: 35.9%; Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
Deferred income ÷ revenue: 21%; Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
Debtors ÷ revenue: 2.4%; Money owed by customers. Low = customers pay quickly.

Indirect — not revenue

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: ▲14%; Now £24.5m
Cash at bank: ▼28%; Now £1.1m
Headcount: ▲6%; Now 34
Deferred income: ▼1%; Now £3.4m
Fixed assets: ▲48%; Now £5.8m

Deferred income is reported together with accruals in this filing (“accruals and deferred income”), so it is an approximate signal only.

Corporate ownership

Group structure

Ownership chain

Opuspond Limitedultimate parent75–100%
W F Howes Limitedthis company

Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.

Sister companies (1)

Boldwood Books LtdFigures not disclosed

From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).

Same industry, similar size

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Sources

Companies House profile Filing history & original accounts

Latest figures from FullAccounts for the year to 31 Dec 2025 (profit £3m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Sep 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.

Updated from Companies House on 24 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.