Charles Hurst Limited
Registered name: CHARLES HURST LIMITED
Part of Global Auto Holdings (Topco) Limited groupCharles Hurst Limited made £773m revenue and £11.5m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2024.
Charles Hurst Limited’s revenue fell 10% to £773m in the year to 31 Dec 2024, with £11.5m profit and 800 employees. The company is classified under “sale of new cars and light motor vehicles” and is based in Belfast; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Belfast
- Age
- 65 yrs · since 1961
- Type
- Private Limited Company
Key figures
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Dec 2022 | 31 Dec 2023 | 31 Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £714m | £856m | £773m |
| Cost of sales | −£643m | −£789m | −£699m |
| Gross profit | £71.3m | £66.7m | £73.9m |
| Operating profit | £18m | £7.5m | £18.9m |
| Profit before tax | £16.3m | £3.1m | £15.1m |
| Profit after tax | £13.7m | £1.9m | £11.5m |
| Profit (best available) | £13.7m | £1.9m | £11.5m |
| Employees (average) | 870 | 892 | 800 |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | 1.9% | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| Gross margin | 10% | 7.8% | 9.6% |
| Revenue per employee | £821k | £959k | £966k |
| Profit per employee | £15.7k | £2.1k | £14.3k |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲19.8% | ▼9.7% |
| Profit growth | — | ▼86.3% | ▲512.6% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▲2.5% | ▼10.3% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Nov 2024 | Accounts · bulk data Nov 2024 | Accounts · bulk data Sep 2025 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 1.5%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 9.6%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £966k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £14.3k
- 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
- ▼10%
- Now 800
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Ownership chain
- Global Auto Holdings (Topco) Limitedultimate parent75–100%
- Global Auto Holdings PLC75–100%
- Lookers Limited75–100%
- Lookers Motor Group Limited75–100%
- Charles Hurst Limitedthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Subsidiaries (3)
- Charles Hurst Motors LtdFigures not disclosed
- Fleet Financial LimitedFigures not disclosed
- J.N. Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
Sister companies (15)
- Addison Motors LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Bramall & Jones VW LtdFigures not disclosed
- Chipperfield Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Colbornes Trade Parts LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Fourways Vehicle Solutions LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Knights North West LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Lomond Motors LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Lomond TPS LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Lookers Birmingham LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Lookers Colborne LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Lookers MB LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Lookers TPS LimitedFigures not disclosed
- NNK Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Shields Automotive LimitedFigures not disclosed
- The Dutton - Forshaw Group LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 31 Dec 2024 (profit £11.5m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Sep 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.