Nichols PLC
Registered name: NICHOLS PLC
Nichols PLC made £175m revenue and £21.4m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2025.
Nichols PLC’s revenue grew 1% to £175m in the year to 31 Dec 2025, with £21.4m profit and 296 employees. The company is classified under “manufacture of soft drinks; production of mineral waters and other bottled waters” and is based in Ashton Road; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Ashton Road, North West
- Age
- 97 yrs · since 1929
- Type
- Public Limited Company
Key figures
Badges are automated estimates derived from the filed figures — not statements of fact about the company.
Financial history
| Year to | 31 Dec 2023 | 31 Dec 2024 | 31 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | |||
| Revenue (turnover) | £171m | £173m | £175m |
| Cost of sales | −£98.6m | −£93.9m | −£94.4m |
| Gross profit | £72.2m | £79m | £80.7m |
| Operating profit | £22.3m | £21.5m | £27.3m |
| Profit before tax | £24.3m | £24m | £29.2m |
| Profit after tax | £18.4m | £17.8m | £21.4m |
| Profit (best available) | £18.4m | £17.8m | £21.4m |
| Employees (average) | 307 | 297 | 296 |
| Ratios | |||
| Profit margin | 10.8% | 10.3% | 12.3% |
| Gross margin | 42.3% | 45.7% | 46.1% |
| Revenue per employee | £556k | £582k | £591k |
| Profit per employee | £59.8k | £60.1k | £72.4k |
| Growth (year on year) | |||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲1.2% | ▲1.3% |
| Profit growth | — | ▼2.9% | ▲20.2% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▼3.3% | ▼0.3% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | |||
| Net assets | — | — | — |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Apr 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Apr 2025 | Accounts · bulk data Apr 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 12.3%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 46.1%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £591k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £72.4k
- 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
- ▼0%
- Now 296
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- —
- Now —
Group structure
Subsidiaries (27)
- Alexander Drink Distributors LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Beacon Drinks LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Beacon Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Ben Shaws Dispense Drinks LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Cabana (Holdings) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Cabana Soft Drinks LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Cariel Soft Drinks LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Chartwell Wines LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Dayla Liquid Packing LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Dispense Solutions (Wales) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- DJ Drink Solutions LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Festival Drinks LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Miniurban LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nichols Dispense (S.W.) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nichols International (Holdco) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Nichols International LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Pin-Hi (Soft Drinks) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Selective Exports LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Solent Bonded Stores LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Solent Canners (Personnel) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Solent Canners (Property) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Solent Canners Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Solent Canners LimitedFigures not disclosed
- The Noisy Drinks Co LtdFigures not disclosed
- Vimto (Out of Home) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Vimto LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Whirley Drinkworks UK LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
Sources
Latest figures from accounts for the year to 31 Dec 2025 (profit £21.4m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Apr 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.