How much does Marston Book Services Limited make?

Marston Book Services Limited reported revenue of £5.9m and a loss of £4.3m in the year to 30 Dec 2022, according to its accounts filed at Companies House.

How many employees does Marston Book Services Limited have?

Marston Book Services Limited reported an average of 97 employees in the year to 30 Dec 2022.

Is Marston Book Services Limited profitable?

No — Marston Book Services Limited reported a loss of £4.3m in the year to 30 Dec 2022.

Company No. 01186721 · Incorporated 10 Oct 1974

Marston Book Services Limited

Registered name: MARSTON BOOK SERVICES LIMITED

Part of United Independent Distributors Ltd group

Marston Book Services Limited made £5.9m revenue and a £4.3m loss in the year to 30 Dec 2022.

Marston Book Services Limited’s revenue fell 3% to £5.9m in the year to 30 Dec 2022, with a loss of £4.3m and 97 employees. The company is classified under “agents specialized in the sale of other particular products” and is based in London; we hold 2 years of its filed accounts.

Full P&L filedSection G · Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehiclesSIC 46180Agents specialized in the sale of other particular products

Status: In Administration
Location: London, London
Age: 52 yrs · since 1974
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 Dec 2022

Key figures

Capital-light

Revenue

£5.9m

Growth ▼3.3%

Profit

−£4.3m

Growth —

Profit margin

−73.2%

Gross 35.1%

Employees

Change ▼10.2%

Profit / employee

−£44.2k

Revenue/employee £60.4k

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.

2 filed years

Financial history

Multi-year financials, oldest to newest
Year to	30 Dec 2021	30 Dec 2022
Disclosure	Full P&L	Full P&L
Profit & loss
Revenue (turnover)	£6.1m	£5.9m
Cost of sales	£4m	£3.8m
Gross profit	£2.1m	£2.1m
Operating profit	−£1.9m	−£1.9m
Profit before tax	−£1.9m	−£4.3m
Profit after tax	−£1.9m	−£4.3m
Profit (best available)	−£1.9m	−£4.3m
Staff costs	£3.3m	£3.2m
Employees (average)	108	97
Ratios
Profit margin	−31.1%	−73.2%
Gross margin	34.2%	35.1%
Revenue per employee	£56.1k	£60.4k
Profit per employee	−£17.5k	−£44.2k
Growth (year on year)
Revenue growth	—	▼3.3%
Headcount growth	—	▼10.2%
Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue
Cash at bank	£2.9m	£2.6m
Net assets	−£3m	−£7.3m
Fixed assets	£98.2k	£114k
Current assets	£10m	£11m
Debtors	£607k	£489k
Source	Accounts · bulk data Dec 2023	Accounts · bulk data Dec 2023

Derived from the latest filing

How the business works

Profit margin: −73.2%; Profit ÷ revenue.
Gross margin: 35.1%; Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
Revenue per employee: £60.4k; Revenue ÷ average employees.
Profit per employee: −£44.2k; Profit ÷ average employees.
Cash conversion: —; Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
Fixed assets ÷ revenue: 1.9%; Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
Deferred income ÷ revenue: —; Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
Debtors ÷ revenue: 8.3%; 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: —; Now −£7.3m
Cash at bank: ▼8%; Now £2.6m
Headcount: ▼10%; Now 97
Deferred income: —; Now —
Fixed assets: ▲16%; Now £114k

Corporate ownership

Group structure

Ownership chain

United Independent Distributors Ltdultimate parent75–100%
Marston Book Services Limitedthis company

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

Subsidiaries (1)

Orca Book Services LimitedIn AdministrationRev. £804k · Profit −£653k

Sister companies (1)

Eurospan LimitedIn AdministrationRev. £10.3m · Profit −£110k

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 accounts for the year to 30 Dec 2022 (profit −£4.3m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Dec 2023. 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.