How much does James Lister & Sons Limited make?

James Lister & Sons Limited reported revenue of £14.1m and a loss of £720 in the year to 30 Sep 2025, according to its accounts filed at Companies House.

How many employees does James Lister & Sons Limited have?

James Lister & Sons Limited reported an average of 94 employees in the year to 30 Sep 2025.

Is James Lister & Sons Limited profitable?

No — James Lister & Sons Limited reported a loss of £720 in the year to 30 Sep 2025.

Company No. 00591148 · Incorporated 30 Sep 1957

James Lister & Sons Limited

Registered name: JAMES LISTER & SONS LIMITED

Part of James Lister Holdings Limited group

James Lister & Sons Limited made £14.1m revenue and a £720 loss in the year to 30 Sep 2025.

James Lister & Sons Limited’s revenue fell 5% to £14.1m in the year to 30 Sep 2025, with a loss of £720 and 94 employees. The company is classified under “non-specialised wholesale trade” and is based in Smethwick Warley; we hold 4 years of its filed accounts.

Full P&L filedSection G · Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehiclesSIC 46900Non-specialised wholesale trade

Status: Active
Location: Smethwick Warley, West Midlands
Age: 69 yrs · since 1957
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.

Latest accounts · year to 30 Sep 2025

Key figures

Capital-light

Revenue

£14.1m

Growth ▼5.4%

Profit

−£720

Growth ▼101.2%

Profit margin

Gross 42%

Employees

Change ▼1.1%

Profit / employee

−£8

Revenue/employee £150k

Profitable streak

0yrs

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	30 Sep 2022	30 Sep 2023	30 Sep 2024	30 Sep 2025
Disclosure	Full P&L	Full P&L	Full P&L	Full P&L
Profit & loss
Revenue (turnover)	£14.3m	£15.4m	£14.9m	£14.1m
Cost of sales	£8.7m	£9.4m	£8.8m	£8.2m
Gross profit	£5.5m	£6m	£6.1m	£5.9m
Operating profit	£273k	£508k	£88k	−£1.6k
Profit before tax	£275k	£514k	£104k	£16.4k
Profit after tax	£247k	£414k	£59.1k	−£720
Profit (best available)	£247k	£414k	£59.1k	−£720
Staff costs	£3.1m	£3.2m	£3.4m	£3.4m
Employees (average)	98	94	95	94
Ratios
Profit margin	1.7%	2.7%	0.4%	0%
Gross margin	38.6%	39.1%	40.9%	42%
Revenue per employee	£145k	£164k	£157k	£150k
Profit per employee	£2.5k	£4.4k	£622	−£8
Growth (year on year)
Revenue growth	—	▲8%	▼3%	▼5.4%
Profit growth	—	▲67.8%	▼85.7%	▼101.2%
Headcount growth	—	▼4.1%	▲1.1%	▼1.1%
Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue
Cash at bank	£685k	£1.3m	£815k	£612k
Net assets	£4.1m	£4.3m	£4.1m	£4.1m
Fixed assets	£390k	£414k	£752k	£682k
Current assets	£6.6m	£6.9m	£6.3m	£6m
Debtors	£3m	£2.9m	£2.9m	£2.9m
Source	Accounts · bulk data Jan 2024	Accounts · bulk data Jan 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data May 2025	FullAccounts · bulk data Mar 2026

Derived from the latest filing

How the business works

Profit margin: 0%; Profit ÷ revenue.
Gross margin: 42%; Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
Revenue per employee: £150k; Revenue ÷ average employees.
Profit per employee: −£8; Profit ÷ average employees.
Cash conversion: —; Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
Fixed assets ÷ revenue: 4.8%; Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
Deferred income ÷ revenue: —; Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
Debtors ÷ revenue: 20.7%; 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: ▼1%; Now £4.1m
Cash at bank: ▼25%; Now £612k
Headcount: ▼1%; Now 94
Deferred income: —; Now —
Fixed assets: ▼9%; Now £682k

Corporate ownership

Group structure

Ownership chain

James Lister Holdings Limitedultimate parent75–100%
James Lister & Sons Limitedthis company

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

Sister companies (3)

JLS (Smethwick) Engineering LimitedFigures not disclosed
Lister Supplies LimitedFigures not disclosed
Lister Tube 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 30 Sep 2025 (profit −£720), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Mar 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.