How much does Ladybird Books Limited make?

Ladybird Books Limited reported revenue of £35m and £4.2m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025, according to its accounts filed at Companies House.

How many employees does Ladybird Books Limited have?

Ladybird Books Limited reported an average of 0 employees in the year to 31 Dec 2025.

Is Ladybird Books Limited profitable?

Yes — Ladybird Books Limited reported a profit of £4.2m in the year to 31 Dec 2025.

Company No. 00200130 · Incorporated 29 Aug 1924

Ladybird Books Limited

Registered name: LADYBIRD BOOKS LIMITED

Part of Bertelsmann UK Limited group

Ladybird Books Limited made £35m revenue and £4.2m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025.

Ladybird Books Limited’s revenue grew 3% to £35m in the year to 31 Dec 2025, with £4.2m profit and 0 employees. The company is classified under “book publishing” and is based in London; we hold 4 years of its filed accounts.

Full P&L filedSection J · Information and communicationSIC 58110Book publishing

Status: Active
Location: London, London
Age: 102 yrs · since 1924
Type: Private Limited Company

Pass-through vehicle. This looks like a holding, staffing or umbrella company. Its revenue and profit may largely pass through to or from other entities, so the figures may not reflect a standalone operating business. It is excluded from our opportunity lists.

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.

Latest accounts · year to 31 Dec 2025

Key figures

Small teamCapital-lightOperating leverage

Revenue

£35m

Growth ▲2.5%

Profit

£4.2m

Growth ▲49.6%

Profit margin

12%

Gross 42.6%

Employees

Change —

Profit / employee

—

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&L	Full P&L	Full P&L	Full P&L
Profit & loss
Revenue (turnover)	£21.4m	£27.5m	£34.2m	£35m
Cost of sales	£13.1m	£16.2m	£21m	£20.1m
Gross profit	£8.3m	£11.3m	£13.2m	£14.9m
Operating profit	£613k	£2.8m	£3.9m	£5.7m
Profit before tax	£320k	£2.6m	£3.8m	£5.6m
Profit after tax	£255k	£2m	£2.8m	£4.2m
Profit (best available)	£255k	£2m	£2.8m	£4.2m
Employees (average)	0	0	0	0
Ratios
Profit margin	1.2%	7.2%	8.3%	12%
Gross margin	38.8%	41.1%	38.5%	42.6%
Growth (year on year)
Revenue growth	—	▲28.4%	▲24.1%	▲2.5%
Profit growth	—	▲673.2%	▲42.8%	▲49.6%
Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue
Net assets	£5.9m	£4.9m	£5.7m	£6.9m
Fixed assets	£52.8k	£47.8k	£42.7k	£37.7k
Current assets	£21.7m	£19.7m	£22.6m	£21.6m
Debtors	£7.6k	£6.9k	£0	£17.2m
Deferred income	£2.3m	£3.2m	£4.8m	£5m
Source	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2025	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2026

Derived from the latest filing

How the business works

Profit margin: 12%; Profit ÷ revenue.
Gross margin: 42.6%; 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: 0.1%; Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
Deferred income ÷ revenue: 14.1%; Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
Debtors ÷ revenue: 49.2%; 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: ▲21%; Now £6.9m
Cash at bank: —; Now —
Headcount: —; Now 0
Deferred income: ▲3%; Now £5m
Fixed assets: ▼12%; Now £37.7k

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

Bertelsmann UK Limitedultimate parent75–100%
Penguin Random House Limited75–100%
Penguin Books Limited75–100%
Ladybird Books Limitedthis company

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

Sister companies (8)

Frederick Warne & Co LimitedRev. £16.5m · Profit £6.9m
Ventura Publishing LimitedRev. £2.5m · Profit £977k
Children's Character Books LimitedRev. £881k · Profit −£676k
Snowman Enterprises LimitedRev. £757k · Profit £541k
Allen Lane the Penguin Press LimitedFigures not disclosed
Hamish Hamilton LimitedFigures not disclosed
Michael Joseph LimitedFigures not disclosed
Penguin Pension Trustee LimitedFigures not disclosed

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

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Sources

Companies House profile Filing history & original accounts

Latest figures from FullAccounts for the year to 31 Dec 2025 (profit £4.2m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Sep 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.

Updated from Companies House on 11 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.