Lantern Recovery Specialists PLC
Registered name: LANTERN RECOVERY SPECIALISTS PLC
Part of Lantern Services (Holdings) Ltd groupLantern Recovery Specialists PLC made £21.6m revenue and £3.9m profit in the year to 31 Mar 2026.
Lantern Recovery Specialists PLC’s revenue grew 9% to £21.6m in the year to 31 Mar 2026, with £3.9m profit and 122 employees. The company is classified under “maintenance and repair of motor vehicles” and is based in Potters Bar; we hold 4 years of its filed accounts.
- Status
- Active
- Location
- Potters Bar, East of England
- Age
- 38 yrs · since 1987
- Type
- Public 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 Mar 2023 | 31 Mar 2024 | 31 Mar 2025 | 31 Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L | Full P&L |
| Profit & loss | ||||
| Revenue (turnover) | £18.7m | £21.4m | £19.8m | £21.6m |
| Cost of sales | £10.3m | £12.2m | £11.1m | £12.4m |
| Gross profit | £8.5m | £9.2m | £8.7m | £9.2m |
| Operating profit | £5.9m | £6.2m | £5.6m | £5.1m |
| Profit before tax | £5.9m | £6.4m | £5.9m | £5.4m |
| Profit after tax | £4.6m | £4.8m | £4.4m | £3.9m |
| Profit (best available) | £4.6m | £4.8m | £4.4m | £3.9m |
| Staff costs | £4.5m | £5.8m | £5.8m | £6.2m |
| Employees (average) | 115 | 125 | 131 | 122 |
| Ratios | ||||
| Profit margin | 24.6% | 22.7% | 22% | 17.9% |
| Gross margin | 45.2% | 43% | 44% | 42.5% |
| Revenue per employee | £163k | £171k | £151k | £177k |
| Profit per employee | £40k | £38.8k | £33.3k | £31.7k |
| Growth (year on year) | ||||
| Revenue growth | — | ▲14.2% | ▼7.3% | ▲9% |
| Profit growth | — | ▲5.3% | ▼9.9% | ▼11.4% |
| Headcount growth | — | ▲8.7% | ▲4.8% | ▼6.9% |
| Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue | ||||
| Cash at bank | £3.3m | £7.1m | £6.7m | £11.4m |
| Net assets | £16.1m | £20.6m | £25m | £15.6m |
| Fixed assets | £6.6m | £7.1m | £7.1m | £8.2m |
| Current assets | £15.8m | £19.6m | £24m | £14.4m |
| Debtors | £2m | £2m | £2.3m | £2.3m |
| Deferred income | £59.7k | £47.3k | £21.5k | £46.4k |
| Source | Accounts · bulk data Sep 2024 | Accounts · bulk data Sep 2024 | FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2025 | FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2026 |
How the business works
- Profit margin
- 17.9%
- Profit ÷ revenue.
- Gross margin
- 42.5%
- Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
- Revenue per employee
- £177k
- Revenue ÷ average employees.
- Profit per employee
- £31.7k
- Profit ÷ average employees.
- Cash conversion
- —
- Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
- Fixed assets ÷ revenue
- 37.8%
- Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
- Deferred income ÷ revenue
- 0.2%
- Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
- Debtors ÷ revenue
- 10.5%
- 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
- ▼38%
- Now £15.6m
- Cash at bank
- ▲70%
- Now £11.4m
- Headcount
- ▼7%
- Now 122
- Deferred income
- ▲116%
- Now £46.4k
- Fixed assets
- ▲15%
- Now £8.2m
Deferred income is reported together with accruals in this filing (“accruals and deferred income”), so it is an approximate signal only.
Group structure
Ownership chain
- Lantern Services (Holdings) Ltdultimate parent75–100%
- Lantern Recovery Specialists PLCthis company
Bands show the share of ownership each company holds in the one below it.
Sister companies (2)
- Lantern Property Holdings LimitedFigures not disclosed
- Worldwide Recovery Systems LimitedFigures not disclosed
From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).
Similar profitable businesses
- In 'N' Out Centres LimitedNorthampton · Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
- Revenue
- £22.7m
- Profit
- £50.2k
- Staff
- 152
- East Bilney Coachworks LimitedDereham · Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
- Revenue
- £20.2m
- Profit
- £359k
- Staff
- 169
- GB Fleetcare LimitedBanbury · Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
- Revenue
- £23.4m
- Profit
- £2.5m
- Staff
- 151
- Stephen Sanderson Transport LimitedMarket Harborough · Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
- Revenue
- £23.4m
- Profit
- £1.2m
- Staff
- 156
- Watling Tyre Service Limited(The)Gravesend · Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
- Revenue
- £19.8m
- Profit
- £504k
- Staff
- 117
- Sparks Commercial Services LimitedSouthampton · Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
- Revenue
- £18.5m
- Profit
- £1.2m
- Staff
- 58
Sources
Latest figures from FullAccounts for the year to 31 Mar 2026 (profit £3.9m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Sep 2026. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Updated from Companies House on 14 Oct 2026
Contains public sector information from Companies House licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Companies House, © Crown copyright. View the licence.