Optical Express Limited
Registered name: OPTICAL EXPRESS LIMITED
Part of Moulsdale Investments Limited groupOptical Express Limited made £112m revenue and £13.2m profit in the year to 27 Dec 2025.
Optical Express Limited’s revenue grew 16% to £112m in the year to 27 Dec 2025, with £13.2m profit. The company is classified under “other human health activities” and is based in Glasgow; we hold 5 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Age
- 30 yrs · since 1995
- 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 Dec 2022 | 30 Dec 2023 | 27 Dec 2024 | 28 Dec 2024 | 27 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&Lread from filing text | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||||
| Revenue (turnover) | £109m | £93.2m | £97m | £97m | £112m |
| Cost of sales | £15.9m | £15m | −£15.6m | £15.6m | −£17.3m |
| Gross profit | £93.2m | £78.1m | £81.3m | £81.3m | £95m |
| Operating profit | £27.1m | £14m | £17m | £17m | £17.9m |
| Profit before tax | £27.1m | £14m | £17.1m | £17.1m | £17.9m |
| Profit after tax | £21.5m | £10.7m | £12.9m | £12.9m | £13.2m |
| Profit (best available) | £21.5m | £10.7m | £12.9m | £12.9m | £13.2m |
| Staff costs | £22.9m | £20m | — | £20.6m | — |
| Employees (average) | 705 | 582 | — | 549 | — |
| Ratios | |||||
| Profit margin | 19.7% | 11.5% | 13.3% | 13.3% | 11.8% |
| Gross margin | 85.4% | 83.9% | 83.9% | 83.9% | 84.6% |
| Revenue per employee | £155k | £160k | — | £177k | — |
| Profit per employee | £30.5k | £18.4k | — | £23.6k | — |
| Growth (year on year) | |||||
| Revenue growth | — | ▼14.6% | ▲4.1% | — | ▲15.8% |
| Profit growth | — | ▼50% | ▲20.5% | — | ▲2.4% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▼17.4% | — | — | — |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||||
| Cash at bank | £1.6m | £2.4m | — | £1.9m | — |
| Net assets | £38.2m | £48.9m | — | £61.9m | — |
| Fixed assets | £13.9m | £15.6m | — | £15.7m | — |
| Current assets | £55.9m | £70.3m | — | £87.2m | — |
| Debtors | £595k | £699k | — | £612k | — |
| Deferred income | £4.1m | £6.3m | — | £6m | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Sep 2024 | Accounts · bulk data Sep 2024 | Accounts · bulk data Oct 2026 | FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Oct 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 11.8%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 84.6%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- —
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- —
- 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 —
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Ownership chain
- Moulsdale Investments Limitedultimate parent75–100%
- DCM (Optical Holdings) Limited75–100%
- Optical Express Limitedthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Sister companies (4)
- Optical Express (Westfield) LimitedRev. £18.7m · Profit −£41k
- Cruach Capital LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Optical Express (Holdings) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- The Frame Zone LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
- Vision RT LimitedLondon · Other human health activities
- Revenue
- £112m
- Profit
- £36.4m
- Staff
- 384
- Vita Health Group LimitedLondon · Other human health activities
- Revenue
- £114m
- Profit
- £1.6m
- Staff
- —
- Vitaflo (International) LimitedBrunswick Business Park · Other human health activities
- Revenue
- £94.1m
- Profit
- £17.3m
- Staff
- 235
- Boots Hearingcare LimitedLlandudno · Other human health activities
- Revenue
- £170m
- Profit
- £16.9m
- Staff
- 800
- Qiagen LimitedManchester · Other human health activities
- Revenue
- £66.4m
- Profit
- £5m
- Staff
- 106
- Kooth PLCLondon · Other human health activities
- Revenue
- £63.3m
- Profit
- £2.6m
- Staff
- 554
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 27 Dec 2025 (profit £13.2m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Oct 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Updated from Companies House on 13 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.