How much does Read Burton Limited make?

Read Burton Limited reported revenue of £24.2m and a loss of £687k in the year to 31 Dec 2024, according to its accounts filed at Companies House.

How many employees does Read Burton Limited have?

Read Burton Limited reported an average of 33 employees in the year to 31 Dec 2024.

Is Read Burton Limited profitable?

No — Read Burton Limited reported a loss of £687k in the year to 31 Dec 2024.

Company No. 01003014 · Incorporated 22 Feb 1971

Read Burton Limited

Registered name: READ BURTON LIMITED

Part of Read Motor Group Limited group

Read Burton Limited made £24.2m revenue and a £687k loss in the year to 31 Dec 2024.

Read Burton Limited’s revenue fell 37% to £24.2m in the year to 31 Dec 2024, with a loss of £687k and 33 employees. The company is classified under “sale of new cars and light motor vehicles” and is based in Preston; we hold 3 years of its filed accounts.

Full P&L filedSection G · Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehiclesSIC 45111Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles SIC 45112Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles SIC 45200Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles SIC 45320Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories

Status: Liquidation
Location: Preston, North West
Age: 55 yrs · since 1971
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. From the filing: “Read Motor Group Limited”

Latest accounts · year to 31 Dec 2024

Key figures

Capital-lightCash flow filed

Revenue

£24.2m

Growth ▼36.8%

Profit

−£687k

Growth —

Profit margin

−2.8%

Gross 6%

Employees

Change ▼51.5%

Profit / employee

−£20.8k

Revenue/employee £734k

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.

3 filed years

Financial history

Multi-year financials, oldest to newest
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)	£46m	£38.3m	£24.2m
Cost of sales	£43.1m	£35.8m	£22.8m
Gross profit	£2.9m	£2.6m	£1.5m
Operating profit	−£110k	−£91.1k	−£613k
Profit before tax	−£256k	−£380k	−£800k
Profit after tax	−£246k	−£392k	−£687k
Profit (best available)	−£246k	−£392k	−£687k
Staff costs	£2.6m	£2.3m	£1.2m
Employees (average)	77	68	33
Ratios
Profit margin	−0.5%	−1%	−2.8%
Gross margin	6.2%	6.7%	6%
Revenue per employee	£598k	£563k	£734k
Profit per employee	−£3.2k	−£5.8k	−£20.8k
Growth (year on year)
Revenue growth	—	▼16.8%	▼36.8%
Headcount growth	—	▼11.7%	▼51.5%
Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue
Cash at bank	£50	£103	£110
Net assets	£1.3m	£906k	−£276k
Fixed assets	£994k	£1m	£1.1m
Current assets	£6.5m	£4.3m	£6.7m
Debtors	£367k	£248k	£2.4m
Cash from operations	£96.4k	£381k	£689k
Source	FullAccounts · bulk data Dec 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Dec 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Oct 2025

Derived from the latest filing

How the business works

Profit margin: −2.8%; Profit ÷ revenue.
Gross margin: 6%; Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
Revenue per employee: £734k; Revenue ÷ average employees.
Profit per employee: −£20.8k; Profit ÷ average employees.
Cash conversion: —; Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
Fixed assets ÷ revenue: 4.4%; Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
Deferred income ÷ revenue: —; Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
Debtors ÷ revenue: 10%; 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: ▼130%; Now −£276k
Cash at bank: ▲7%; Now £110
Headcount: ▼51%; Now 33
Deferred income: —; Now —
Fixed assets: ▲2%; Now £1.1m

Corporate ownership

Group structure

Ownership chain

Read Motor Group Limitedultimate parent75–100%
Read Burton Limitedthis company

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

Subsidiaries (1)

Darby TPS LLPFigures not disclosed

Sister companies (9)

Read Derby LimitedRev. £29m · Profit −£240k
Read Hyundai LimitedRev. £20.8m · Profit £72.6k
Read Hyundai Lincoln LimitedRev. £19.5m · Profit £278k
Read Hyundai Doncaster LimitedRev. £17.8m · Profit £11.5k
Read Automotive Grimsby LimitedFigures not disclosed
Read Hyundai Boston LimitedFigures not disclosed
Read Hyundai Kings Lynn LimitedFigures not disclosed
Read Hyundai Worksop LimitedFigures not disclosed
Read Used Car Sales 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 2024 (profit −£687k), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Oct 2025. 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.