REGISTERED NUMBER: 08340307 (England and Wales)

DAVID FICKLING BOOKS LIMITED

UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Page

Company Information

1

Balance Sheet

2

Notes to the Financial Statements

4

Chartered Accountants' Report

7

DIRECTORS:

D Fickling

C J Fickling

L Barratt

S E Caro

T M Fickling

E J Cross

REGISTERED OFFICE:

6-7 Citibase, New Barclay House

234 Botley Road

Oxford

OX2 0HP

REGISTERED NUMBER:

08340307 (England and Wales)

ACCOUNTANTS:

Mercer Lewin Ltd

Chartered Accountants

6-7 Citibase

New Barclay House

234 Botley Road

Oxford

OX2 0HP

FIXED ASSETS

Intangible assets

4

7,707

7,972

Tangible assets

5

7,182

3,631

14,889

11,603

CURRENT ASSETS

Stocks

590,373

349,535

Debtors

6

2,789,934

1,187,750

Cash at bank and in hand

289,428

321,358

3,669,735

1,858,643

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

7

1,830,094

1,100,274

NET CURRENT ASSETS

1,839,641

758,369

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

1,854,530

769,972

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due after more than one year

8

473,757

647,966

NET ASSETS

1,380,773

122,006

CAPITAL AND RESERVES

Called up share capital

3,057

3,057

Share premium

1,554,371

1,554,371

Retained earnings

(176,655

)

(1,435,422

)

1,380,773

122,006

The company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for:

(a)	ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b)

preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of each financial year and of its profit or loss for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the company.

The financial statements have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

In accordance with Section 444 of the Companies Act 2006, the Income Statement has not been delivered.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 29 September 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

C J Fickling - Director

1.	STATUTORY INFORMATION

David Fickling Books Limited is a private company, limited by shares , registered in England and Wales. The company's registered number and registered office address can be found on the Company Information page.

2.	ACCOUNTING POLICIES

BASIS OF PREPARING THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" including the provisions of Section 1A "Small Entities" and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

SIGNIFICANT JUDGEMENTS AND ESTIMATES

The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. These estimates and judgements are continually reviewed and are based on experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

There are no judgements that are deemed to have had a significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.

TURNOVER

Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, excluding discounts, rebates, value added tax and other sales taxes.

INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Intangible assets are initially measured at cost. After initial recognition, intangible assets are measured at cost less any accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses.

Development costs are being amortised evenly over their estimated useful life of nil years.

Computer software is being amortised evenly over its estimated useful life of nil years.

TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Equipment

-

33% on cost

STOCKS

Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, after making due allowance for obsolete and slow moving items.

TAXATION

Taxation for the year comprises current tax. Tax is recognised in the Income Statement, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity.

Current taxation assets and liabilities are not discounted.

Current tax is recognised at the amount of tax payable using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date.

PENSION COSTS AND OTHER POST-RETIREMENT BENEFITS

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the company's pension scheme are charged to profit or loss in the period to which they relate.

GOING CONCERN

The company generated a profit in the relevant accounting period and had positive net assets. The company's sales, profitability and net assets outlook is strong, with growth projected for forthcoming accounting periods. The directors therefore consider the company's financial health to be increasingly robust and that the accounts should be prepared on a going concern basis.

3.	EMPLOYEES AND DIRECTORS

The average number of employees during the year was 13 (2023 - 10 ) .

4.	INTANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Other

intangible

assets

£

COST

At 1 January 2024

13,921

Additions

4,707

At 31 December 2024

18,628

AMORTISATION

At 1 January 2024

5,949

Charge for year

4,972

At 31 December 2024

10,921

NET BOOK VALUE

At 31 December 2024

7,707

At 31 December 2023

7,972

5.	TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Equipment

£

COST

At 1 January 2024

34,334

Additions

5,745

At 31 December 2024

40,079

DEPRECIATION

At 1 January 2024

30,703

Charge for year

2,194

At 31 December 2024

32,897

NET BOOK VALUE

At 31 December 2024

7,182

At 31 December 2023

3,631

6.

DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2024

2023

£

£

Trade debtors

2,469,154

1,066,935

Other debtors

320,780

120,815

2,789,934

1,187,750

7.

CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2024

2023

£

£

Bank loans and overdrafts

26,279

34,600

Trade creditors

639,039

299,485

Amounts owed to group undertakings

937,232

539,463

Taxation and social security

26,210

24,629

Other creditors

201,334

202,097

1,830,094

1,100,274

8.

CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE AFTER MORE THAN ONE YEAR

2024

2023

£

£

Bank loans

176,414

202,693

Other creditors

297,343

445,273

473,757

647,966

9.	RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

The Company has a trading relationship with David Fickling Comics Limited, a company under common control. The trading relationship is conducted in an arm's length manner, with David Fickling Comics Limited being owed £896,270 by the Company as at 31 December 2024. This consists of working capital related amounts of £681,324, the majority of which is accrued royalties in the period 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024. These were due for payment on 31 March 2025 and were settled on or around that date. In addition, the Company has borrowed £214,946 from David Fickling Comics Limited for which an interest rate on commercial terms was charged in the relevant accounting period.

The following reproduces the text of the report prepared for the directors in respect of the company's annual unaudited financial statements. In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the company is only required to file a Balance Sheet. Readers are cautioned that the Income Statement and certain other primary statements and the Report of the Directors are not required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies.

In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Companies Act 2006, we have prepared for your approval the financial statements of David Fickling Books Limited for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the Income Statement, Balance Sheet and the related notes from the company's accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us.

As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed within the ICAEW's regulations and guidance at http://www.icaew.com/en/membership/regulations-standards-and-guidance.

This report is made solely to the Board of Directors of David Fickling Books Limited, as a body, in accordance with our terms of engagement. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial statements of David Fickling Books Limited and state those matters that we have agreed to state to the Board of Directors of David Fickling Books Limited, as a body, in this report in accordance with ICAEW Technical Release 07/16AAF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than David Fickling Books Limited and its Board of Directors, as a body, for our work or for this report.

It is your duty to ensure that David Fickling Books Limited has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare statutory financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of David Fickling Books Limited. You consider that David Fickling Books Limited is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year.

We have not been instructed to carry out an audit or a review of the financial statements of David Fickling Books Limited. For this reason, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on the statutory financial statements.

Mercer Lewin Ltd

Chartered Accountants

6-7 Citibase

New Barclay House

234 Botley Road

Oxford

OX2 0HP

29 September 2025