How much does Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited make?

Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited reported revenue of £34.8m and £4.8m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2023, according to its accounts filed at Companies House.

How many employees does Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited have?

Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited reported an average of 153 employees in the year to 31 Dec 2023.

Is Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited profitable?

Yes — Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited reported a profit of £4.8m in the year to 31 Dec 2023.

Company No. 04433740 · Incorporated 8 May 2002

Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited

Registered name: SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS LIMITED

Part of SDS Holdings Limited group

Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited made £34.8m revenue and £4.8m profit in the year to 31 Dec 2023.

Sustainable Drainage Systems Limited’s revenue fell 11% to £34.8m in the year to 31 Dec 2023, with £4.8m profit and 153 employees. The company is classified under “manufacture of builders ware of plastic” and is based in Biddisham; we hold 2 years of its filed accounts.

Full P&L filedSection C · ManufacturingSIC 22230Manufacture of builders ware of plastic

Status: Active
Location: Biddisham, South West
Age: 24 yrs · since 2002
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: “SDS Water Group Limited”

Latest accounts · year to 31 Dec 2023

Key figures

Revenue

£34.8m

Growth ▼11.1%

Profit

£4.8m

Growth ▼32.8%

Profit margin

13.8%

Gross 42.3%

Employees

153

Change ▼5%

Profit / employee

£31.3k

Revenue/employee £228k

Profitable streak

2yrs

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	31 Dec 2022	31 Dec 2023
Disclosure	Full P&L	Full P&L
Profit & loss
Revenue (turnover)	£39.1m	£34.8m
Cost of sales	£23.3m	£20.1m
Gross profit	£15.8m	£14.7m
Operating profit	£7.9m	£6m
Profit before tax	£7.7m	£5.8m
Profit after tax	£7.1m	£4.8m
Profit (best available)	£7.1m	£4.8m
Staff costs	£6m	£6.1m
Employees (average)	161	153
Ratios
Profit margin	18.2%	13.8%
Gross margin	40.4%	42.3%
Revenue per employee	£243k	£228k
Profit per employee	£44.3k	£31.3k
Growth (year on year)
Revenue growth	—	▼11.1%
Profit growth	—	▼32.8%
Headcount growth	—	▼5%
Balance sheet — indirect signals, not revenue
Cash at bank	£1.3m	£2.9m
Net assets	£11.2m	£11m
Fixed assets	£5.7m	£4.8m
Current assets	£16.1m	£16.5m
Debtors	£6m	£6m
Source	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024	FullAccounts · bulk data Sep 2024

Derived from the latest filing

How the business works

Profit margin: 13.8%; Profit ÷ revenue.
Gross margin: 42.3%; Gross profit ÷ revenue. High for software and services.
Revenue per employee: £228k; Revenue ÷ average employees.
Profit per employee: £31.3k; Profit ÷ average employees.
Cash conversion: —; Cash generated from operations ÷ operating profit. Needs a cash-flow statement.
Fixed assets ÷ revenue: 13.8%; Capital intensity. Low = capital-light, cheaper to start.
Deferred income ÷ revenue: —; Customers paying upfront (subscriptions, deposits). Approximate when combined with accruals.
Debtors ÷ revenue: 17.2%; 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: ▼2%; Now £11m
Cash at bank: ▲123%; Now £2.9m
Headcount: ▼5%; Now 153
Deferred income: —; Now —
Fixed assets: ▼15%; Now £4.8m

Corporate ownership

Group structure

Ownership chain

SDS Holdings Limitedultimate parent75–100%
SDS Water Group Limited75–100%
Sustainable Drainage Systems Limitedthis company

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

Sister companies (1)

SDS Pipe Systems (Holdings) LimitedFigures not disclosed

From the Persons with Significant Control register (corporate controllers only).

Same industry, similar size

Similar profitable businesses

Industry benchmarks →

Sources

Companies House profile Filing history & original accounts

Latest figures from FullAccounts for the year to 31 Dec 2023 (profit £4.8m), from the Companies House accounts bulk data published Sep 2024. 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.