The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2025.
The company continues to operate in the United Kingdom with an expanding overseas presence. The Company’s principal activity is the manufacture and sale of fire, thermal and acoustic insulation solutions, including the provision of technical services and site support services.
Key performance indicators (percentages shown are based on £’000 values from the financial statements)
(£m) | 2025 | 2024 | Growth/(decline) |
Turnover | 45.7 | 47.7 | (4.2)% |
Gross Profit | 27.1 | 29.6 | (8.4)% |
Gross Margin | 59.3% | 62.1% | (2.8)% |
EBITDA* | 15.2 | 18.8 | (19.2)% |
*Operating profit before deducting depreciation, amortisation and exceptional items
Turnover (£m) | 2025 | 2024 | Growth/(decline) |
UK | 38.6 | 40.8 | (5.4)% |
Export | 7.1 | 6.9 | 2.9% |
Total | 45.7 | 47.7 | (4.2)% |
Turnover declined 4.2% to £45.7m.
UK turnover declined 5.4% to £38.6m but Export grew 2.9% to £7.1m with sales to Europe and MEIAP growing. The decline in the UK is entirely due to the construction industry slow down on obtaining approval, through the BSR, of new buildings and remediation projects over 11 metres which has caused project delays across the industry. The Company’s pipeline of visible projects remains very strong.
Gross profit declined by 8.4% to £27.1m while gross margin dropped by 2.8 percentage points to 59.3%, partly due to geographical and product mix, but mainly due to the reduction in UK revenue and operating overheads being maintained for future growth anticipating the strong pipeline to return when the BSR release approvals.
Following on from previous years, the Company continued to invest in sales, marketing and technical resource to ensure continuation of the Company's market leading technical services proposition and to develop international sales. Distribution costs and administrative expenses grew by £2.9m to £15.3m. EBITDA* fell 19.2% to £15.2m due to the level of investment made, although this included £0.3m of bad debt and £0.2m of foreign exchange.
The Group and Company continue to recognise the importance of long-term investment to support future growth and drive the business forward as it seeks to become the global leader in passive fire solutions for all building types.
Continued investment in its head office site in Maesteg, South Wales, and in particular its manufacturing capability and competence, alongside investment in digital, research and development and testing, investing a further £0.9m in capital expenditure.
Risk | Mitigation |
Geopolitical Risk
In today’s interconnected global economy, businesses face a landscape marked by significant geopolitical fragmentation, from trade wars and regulatory shifts to regional threats. This is currently most specific in the Middle East.
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The Group has global operations including an operation in Dubai, UAE, where it has offices and a factory to serve the MEIAP region which could be impacted by the Middle East issues.
Production can be carried out from its factory in Maesteg, Wales, and whilst this could extend lead times and increase costs, in times when freight costs are impacted, The Group would be able to continue to meet demands.
MEIAP accounts for approximately 15% of Revenues so there is significant regional mix mitigation in The Groups financial performance to offset any negative impact in that region.
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Compliance with regulations, legal and ethical standards The Company’s products and associated services are designed to protect lives and property. It is essential that those products and services comply, at the very least, with the laws and regulations in the territories in which the Company operates.
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The Company engages in regular testing of its products in line with all applicable laws and regulations and is committed to achieving the highest levels of integrity in all that it does. The Company is also represented on external committees overseeing the setting of standards and regulatory processes.
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Credit Risk The Company's credit risk is almost entirely attributable to its trade receivables. |
The Company continues to insure the majority of its trade receivables through Atradius, and, at 31 December 2025 had over 85% of its trade receivables insured. Provision is made for specific doubtful debts based on knowledge and ageing of the debtor. The amounts presented in the balance sheet are net of these provisions. All receivable accounts are credit checked using reputable agencies, and the Company's approach to giving credit is cautious. The Company has no significant concentration of credit risk, with exposure spread over a number of customers. |
Cyber Security All modern businesses face an increasing inherent cyber security risk as criminals become more sophisticated and technology’s involvement continues to grow.
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The Group has controls in place to mitigate cyber security risk, including regular security audits and independent penetration testing. The Group operates a layered cyber security control framework aligned to recognised standards, supported by enterprise‑grade security tooling, continuous monitoring of security posture and exposure, and risk‑based testing of key controls.
Cyber security is governed through documented policies, defined accountability, and established incident response and business continuity arrangements, alongside regular employee awareness training.
The Group holds Cyber Security Essentials Plus certification and is progressing a formal programme during 2026 to further mature its information‑security management framework in line with ISO 27001.
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Under section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006, each director of a company has a duty to promote the success of the company, acting in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and, in doing so, have regard, amongst other things, to the following:
the likely consequences of any decision in the long term;
the interests of the company’s employees;
the need to foster the company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others;
the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment;
the desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct; and
the need to act fairly as between members of the company.
The Board’s decisions are measured against its strategy, underpinned by its long-term business plan. Each decision takes into account, as appropriate, the impact on the Company's short-, medium- and long-term goals and on its wider stakeholder community. The Board, and its wider leadership team, understand the importance of engaging with all stakeholders and regularly discuss issues concerning its employees, suppliers, customers, community and the environment, and factors in the interests of these Company’s when making decisions.
The interests of the Company's employees
The Company recognises the key role its employees have in building a successful organisation. Siderise Insulation Limited achieved various awards and recognition in 2025 for its people-centric culture including being recognised as one of the ‘Best Places to Work’ in the prestigious Sunday Times listing in both 2024 and 2025, as well as being included in the inaugural Building Magazine Good Employer guide in 2025. Each Executive is responsible for one or more departments in the organisation and therefore, directly or indirectly, every employee’s interests are considered during discussions.
The Company’s average number of employees fell to 138 in 2025 (2024: 143). The need to recruit, develop and retain the best talent is key to the Company's success. The Board continues to focus on recruitment and retention, and will continue to do so. Developing and upskilling remain fundamental to the employee proposition, underpinned by a bespoke Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours (“SKEB”) matrix for each employee, providing focus on current and desired levels of performance, with training provided to address identified areas for growth. In 2025, Siderise invested in a new Learning Management System (LMS) which has allowed the business to improve its performance management and learning processes, demonstrating our continued commitment to staff development, globally.
“Safety matters” is a key value of the business, and, while this extends across the spectrum of stakeholders, it starts with the Company's employees. Delivery of the Company's mission will make the world a safer place. By extension, safety should be intrinsic to everything the Company does. The Company aims to foster a culture of safety, a culture that is expansive and transferrable, so that people take it with them wherever they go.
Fostering the Company's business relationships with suppliers
The Board recognises that the quality, reliability and integrity of the goods and services it procures are fundamental to delivering high-quality products and sustainable outcomes for our customers and wider stakeholders. The Company’s values, in particular Integrity in all we do, underpin its approach to building transparent, ethical and mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers.
The Board maintains oversight of key strategic supplier relationships, with material contracts and associated risks regularly reviewed at Board level under its delegated authority’s framework. Responsibility for the management of broader supplier relationships is appropriately delegated across the organisation, enabling timely and effective engagement, while maintaining clear accountability through Executive oversight.
The Company continues to strengthen its supply chain capability and governance. The appointment of a Head of Supply Chain in 2025 has enhanced central coordination, supplier risk management and the development of more consistent procurement practices across the business. This includes a greater focus on supplier performance, resilience and alignment with the Company’s standards on quality, ethics and sustainability.
Fostering the Company's business relationships with customers
“Customer First” lies at the heart of the Company’s values. The Group’s customers are the ultimate priority, and the quality of their experience when engaging with Siderise, at any point and with any product or service is central to building long term, trusted relationships. The Group’s Commercial function, led by the Chief Commercial Officer, ensures that customer insight informs decision making, with the Board placing significant emphasis on customer experience indicators, including Net Promoter Score (NPS), and the frequency and nature of customer complaints. In 2025, the business achieved an average NPS score of 57, increasing to 72 in the fourth quarter.
Impact on community and the environment
Under the leadership of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Manager, the impact the business has, and will have on its community and environment is appropriately monitored and managed. The Board has agreed specific science-based targets for the coming years across the spectrum of ESG.
The desirability of the Company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct and the need to act fairly as between members of the Company
The business has a strong and growing reputation, evidenced by positive customer feedback, and high standards of business conduct evidenced by its value of “Integrity in all we do”. Balancing the interests of all stakeholders is not always simple, but the need to act fairly and take those, sometimes competing, interests into account, is the foundation upon which Siderise operates.
Energy use and emissions
Consumption and emissions disclosure
The table below shows the Company’s energy consumption for the year with comparatives:
Energy Consumption (kWh) | 2025 | 2024 as restated | ||
| UK | Overseas | UK | Overseas |
Electricity consumption on site | 1,080,460 | 40,630 | 1,049,563 | 32,892 |
Electricity consumption at public chargers | 83,272 |
| 60,457 |
|
Solar energy generated and consumed | 2,149 |
| - |
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Natural gas | 245,907 |
| 329,242 |
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Heating oil | 115,039 |
| 229,417 |
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LPG | 123,944 |
| 98,511 |
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Propane | 13,879 |
| 32,804 |
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White diesel | 429 |
| 429 |
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Petrol | 27,203 |
| 70,074 |
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Diesel | 9,376 |
| 41,379 |
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Total: | 1,701,658 | 40,630 | 1,911,876 | 32,892 |
1,742,288 | 1,944,768 | |||
The energy intensity per kg of product produced (excluding overseas energy consumption and including company vehicle fleet), expressed in kWh/kg decreased by 11% in 2025 to 0.13 from 0.15 in 2024. This reduction reflects the impact of energy efficiency initiatives, the electrification of the company vehicle fleet, milder weather conditions in 2025 compared to 2024, and the completion of a one-off project in January 2024 that required additional heating for floor curing.
The associated emissions are shown in Table 2: SIL: GHG Emissions below:
GHG Emissions (tCO2e) | 2025 | 2024 as restated | ||
UK | Overseas | UK | Overseas | |
Natural gas (heating) | 44.99 | - | 60.22 | - |
Heating oil (heating) | 28.23 | - | 56.31 | - |
LPG (test centre furnace) | 27.26 | - | 21.67 | - |
Propane (forklifts) | 2.97 | - | 7.01 | - |
White diesel (backup generator) | 0.11 | - | 0.11 | - |
F-gas R32 leak/top up (air conditioners) | 1.15 | - | - | - |
Petrol (company vehicles) | 5.90 | - | 15.30 | - |
Diesel (company vehicles) | 2.30 | - | 9.95 | - |
Total Scope 1 | 112.91 | 170.57 | ||
| UK | Overseas | UK | Overseas |
Electricity | 191.24 | 16.29 | 217.31 | 13.29 |
Public charging of company electric vehicles | 14.74 | - | 12.52 | - |
Scope 2 (location-based) | 205.98 | 16.29 | 229.83 | 13.29 |
Scope 2 (market-based) | 14.74 | 16.29 | 12.52 | 13.29 |
Total Scope 2 (location-based) | 222.27 | 243.12 | ||
Total Scope 2 (market-based) | 31.03 | 25.81 | ||
Methodologies used to calculate the amounts disclosed
For scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, our energy consumption data was obtained from invoices, while emission factors were sourced from the UK Government's Greenhouse Gas Reporting: Conversion Factors 2024 and 2025 publications. Overseas energy consumption and emissions include our office and the manufacturing site in the UAE. We used the most recent and reliable publicly available sources for the UAE's electricity emission factors. The calculation includes emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Our emissions consolidation approach follows the operational control method.
Improvements in energy consumption and efficiency
In 2025, we undertook a range of site-specific energy efficiency initiatives across our manufacturing operations to support our ambition of achieving a 20% reduction in energy intensity by 2030.
As our manufacturing site in Dubai was newly established during the reporting period, the focus in 2025 was on commissioning operations and embedding site systems and processes. As a result, no dedicated energy efficiency projects were undertaken at this site during the year.
At Siderise Insulation Limited (SIL), improvements focused on reducing energy losses, optimising operational controls, and enhancing building performance. A full compressed air leak survey was completed, delivering estimated annual savings of 15,535 kWh. Data loggers were installed on the largest Significant Energy User (SEU) in Q4 2025 to enable more detailed energy analysis, with further optimisation measures and site-wide expansion planned for 2026.
Inefficient and legacy equipment was removed, including a 4 kW vacuum pump (previously operating approximately 10 hours per day) and two 3 kW macerator motors. Operational controls were strengthened through improved management of heating systems, including team briefings on correct use of time controls, standardisation of temperature setpoints, and locking of thermostats. Nominal operating hours were reduced from 16 to 10 hours per day. Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) fan speeds were reduced from 50 Hz to 45 Hz to better align with demand.
Building energy performance was further enhanced through refinements to extraction, heating, and compressed air control systems, alongside the use of fast-action doors to minimise heat loss.
We also progressed the electrification of our site transport fleet. At the end of 2025, six forklifts were electric and one remained propane-powered. The remaining unit is planned to be phased out in 2026, completing the transition to an electric fleet for onsite operations. We also further electrified our company car fleet in 2025, which reduced petrol and diesel consumption.
We also continued to develop our onsite renewable energy capacity. Following the installation of a small solar PV array at the Siderise Innovation Centre in 2024 (generating approximately 2,087 kWh per year, equivalent to 0.4 tCO₂e), a significant milestone was achieved in September 2025 with the approval of a 249 kWp solar PV system at SIL. Scheduled to be operational by the end of Q1 2026, the system is expected to generate approximately 209.44 MWh annually and deliver an estimated lifetime reduction of 1,312 tCO₂e. These developments support our ambition to meet 20% of our energy demand through onsite renewable generation by 2030.
In parallel, we continued to assess the feasibility of heat pump technologies across our sites. As part of this transition, we plan to phase out heating oil (kerosene) from Building 2 and fully electrify the heating system by Q3 2026. We continue to procure 100% renewable electricity.
In 2025, we made significant progress towards ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management System (EnMS) certification. We successfully completed the Stage 1 audit, confirming that our EnMS is effectively established and ready for certification. The Stage 2 audit is scheduled for February 2026, with the objective of achieving certification by the end of Q1 2026. This will further strengthen our approach to managing and reducing energy consumption across the organisation.
Improvements in GHG emissions
Total Scope 1 emissions decreased significantly from 170.56 tCO₂e in 2024 to 112.91 tCO₂e in 2025 (-34%), primarily driven by reductions in heating oil and natural gas consumption, alongside lower emissions from company vehicles and forklifts, reflecting improved operational efficiency and partial fleet electrification. LPG emissions increased due to higher test centre activity. Scope 2 (location-based) emissions decreased from 243.12 tCO₂e to 222.27 tCO₂e (-9%), primarily reflecting a reduction in UK grid emission factors, partially offset by increased overseas electricity consumption following the commencement of manufacturing operations. Market-based Scope 2 emissions increased marginally from 25.81 tCO₂e to 31.03 tCO₂e, driven by increased public charging of electric vehicles. Overall, the data demonstrates strong progress in reducing direct emissions. Our target is to achieve net zero emissions across Scope 1 and Scope 2 by the end of 2030, using 2024 as the baseline year.
Prior period energy use and emissions adjustment
During 2025, a review of the 2024 base year data identified opportunities to improve the accuracy and consistency of energy and emissions calculations. As a result, selected 2024 figures have been restated to reflect updated methodologies and corrected data inputs.
Revisions included the correction of a data entry issue relating to natural gas consumption at the company, which impacted the associated GHG emissions. In addition, the methodology for estimating heating oil and propane consumption at the company was refined. Previously based on cost-derived estimates due to limited invoice detail, this has been updated to a stock-based approach using opening and closing fuel levels, resulting in improved accuracy of reported consumption and emissions.
Furthermore, in line with the operational control approach adopted by the Group, electricity consumption from overseas locations where the Group does not have operational control (including Singapore and India) has been reclassified from Scope 2 to Scope 3 emissions. This has resulted in a decrease in reported overseas Scope 2 electricity consumption and associated emissions.
Future Developments
The Group is the UK, Ireland and UAE market leader in passive fire solutions for high rise buildings and has strong prospects for future growth as it focuses on its strategy to become the global leader in passive fire solutions for the building envelope on all building types. The business continues to develop new products and expand into new territories to enable it to address wider applications and markets, recently launching a new offering for Industrial portal-frame buildings as well as solutions for pre-cast concrete applications.
The Group has offices in Dubai, Singapore, India and North America, in addition to its manufacturing facilities, innovation centre and offices in the UK, with manufacturing now established in Dubai also. We continue to focus on developing our international footprint, building out in North America from early wins in New York, and across Asia with specific focus on countries that are undertaking significant vertical urbanism. We have further boosted our presence in Australia and New Zealand with our own team now on the ground there. The business will continue to make appropriate capital and overhead investments to continue its strong record of growth.
The directors believe these investments will deliver substantial returns in the coming years.
On behalf of the board
The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
The results for the year are set out on page 14.
The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Azets Audit Services be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The Company has included this disclosure within the Strategic Report.
Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
We have audited the financial statements of Siderise Insulation Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 December 2025 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the statement of changes in equity and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Basis for opinion
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above and on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.
We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework. Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.
In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:
Enquiry of management and those charged with governance around actual and potential litigation and claims as well as actual, suspected and alleged fraud;
Assessing the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations considered to have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company through enquiry and inspection;
Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
Performing audit work over the risk of management bias and override of controls, including testing of journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business and reviewing accounting estimates for indicators of potential bias.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Siderise Insulation Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Siderise Forge Industrial Estate, Nantyfyllon, Maesteg, Mid Glamorgan, United Kingdom, CF34 0AH.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £'000.
This company is a qualifying entity for the purposes of FRS 102, being a member of a group where the parent of that group prepares publicly available consolidated financial statements, including this company, which are intended to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the group. The company has therefore taken advantage of exemptions from the following disclosure requirements:
Section 4 ‘Statement of Financial Position’: Reconciliation of the opening and closing number of shares;
Section 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’: Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;
Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instrument Issues’: Carrying amounts, interest income/expense and net gains/losses for each category of financial instrument; basis of determining fair values; details of collateral, loan defaults or breaches, details of hedges, hedging fair value changes recognised in profit or loss and in other comprehensive income;
Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.
The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of Obice Topco Limited. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office, Nantyfyllon, Maesteg, CF34 0AH.
Intangible assets comprise technical development costs. Such assets are defined as having finite useful lives and the costs are amortised on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives of 4-5 years. Intangible assets are stated at cost less amortisation and are reviewed for impairment whenever there is an indication that the carrying value may be impaired.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to profit or loss.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.
Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the company transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.
Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as being measured at fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.
In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.
Intercompany debtors are held at fair value. The balances are considered fully repayable as a result of full support from group.
During the year, the company recognised management charges of £3,690,000 (2024: £nil) relating to previous accounting periods and were identified and agreed during the current year”.
The exceptional costs in the prior year comprise:
c.£1.25m in relation to exit preparation in readiness for the next stage in the life cycle of a private equity owned business;
£763k in relation to asset and stock impairment, see note 12.
There are no such costs for the financial year ending 31 December 2025.
The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:
As total directors' remuneration was less than £200,000 in the current year, no disclosure is provided for that year.
The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:
Details of the company's subsidiaries at 31 December 2025 are as follows:
The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the company and movements thereon:
The deferred tax liability set out above is expected to reverse within 12 months and relates primarily to accelerated capital allowances that are expected to mature within the same period.
Deferred tax has been recognised at a rate of 25%.
The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.
A fixed and floating charge was created on 25 June 2019 in favour of HSBC UK Bank Plc over all the property and undertakings of the company and its subsidiaries, as listed per note 16. This remains in place at 31 December 2025.
A fixed and floating charge was created on 13 May 2025 in favour of HSBC UK Bank Plc over all the property and undertakings of the company and its subsidiaries, as listed per note 16. This remains in place at 31 December 2025.
During the year, £74,880 (2024: £74,880) for rental property was recharged via group entities.
At the reporting end date the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
Amounts contracted for but not provided in the financial statements:
The company has taken the exemption under FRS102 not to disclose transactions with related parties that are within the Obice Topco group.
Dividends totalling £0 (2024 - £0) were paid in the year in respect of shares held by the company's directors.