James Kemball Limited
Registered name: JAMES KEMBALL LIMITED
Part of GB Europe Holdings Limited groupJames Kemball Limited made £43.2m revenue and £2.4m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2024.
James Kemball Limited’s revenue fell 6% to £43.2m in the year to 31 Dec 2024, with £2.4m profit and 129 employees. The company is classified under “freight transport by road” and is based in Felixstowe; we hold 4 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Felixstowe, East of England
- Age
- 52 yrs · since 1973
- 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 2021 | 31 Dec 2022 | 31 Dec 2023 | 31 Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | ||||
| Revenue (turnover) | £127m | £88.9m | £46m | £43.2m |
| Cost of sales | £55.6m | £49.1m | £33.3m | £32.2m |
| Gross profit | £71.6m | £39.8m | £12.6m | £11m |
| Operating profit | £48.8m | £20.7m | £4.4m | £2.7m |
| Profit before tax | £48.8m | £20.6m | £3.9m | £3.2m |
| Profit after tax | £40m | £17.2m | £3.8m | £2.4m |
| Profit (best available) | £40m | £17.2m | £3.8m | £2.4m |
| Staff costs | £7.6m | £6.8m | £6.3m | £6.5m |
| Employees (average) | 124 | 122 | 121 | 129 |
| Ratios | ||||
| Profit margin | 31.4% | 19.4% | 8.3% | 5.6% |
| Gross margin | 56.3% | 44.8% | 27.5% | 25.4% |
| Revenue per employee | £1m | £729k | £380k | £335k |
| Profit per employee | £322k | £141k | £31.6k | £18.7k |
| Growth (year on year) | ||||
| Revenue growth | — | — | ▼48.3% | ▼6.1% |
| Profit growth | — | — | ▼77.8% | ▼37.1% |
| Headcount growth | — | — | ▼0.8% | ▲6.6% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | ||||
| Cash at bank | £1.3m | £4m | £14.5m | £20.6m |
| Net assets | £28.9m | £46.1m | £50m | £52.4m |
| Fixed assets | £537k | £2.5m | £2.5m | £5.7m |
| Current assets | £72.6m | £94.1m | £70.1m | £58.9m |
| Debtors | £3.5m | £2.7m | £934k | £1.8m |
| Source | FullAccounts · bulk data Jan 2024 | FullAccounts · bulk data Jan 2024 | FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024 | FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2025 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 5.6%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 25.4%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £335k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £18.7k
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- 13.2%
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- —
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- 4.2%
- 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
- ▲5%
- Now £52.4m
- Cash at bank
- ▲42%
- Now £20.6m
- Headcount
- ▲7%
- Now 129
- Deferred income
- —
- Now —
- Fixed assets
- ▲125%
- Now £5.7m
Group structure
Ownership chain
- GB Europe Holdings Limitedultimate parent75–100%
- GB Global Management Limited75–100%
- James Kemball Limitedthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Subsidiaries (1)
- D.J.B. Haulage Ltd.Figures not disclosed
Sister companies (15)
- Uniserve LimitedRev. £244m · Profit £22.8m
- Commercial Platforms International LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Cpi Media Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Cromwell Manor Functions LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Customs Insights Consultancy LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Efret LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Eurotrade Fulfilment LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Metro Global Holdings LimitedRev. — · Profit £845k
- One World Global Trade Management LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Uniocean Lines LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Uniserve (Europe) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Uniserve (Scotland) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Uniserve (U.K.) LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Uogp LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Wilgo Freight Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
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Sources
Latest figures from FullAccounts for the year to 31 Dec 2024 (profit £2.4m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Sep 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.