The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2025.

JAA is a full-service media planning and buying agency, working with clients across all paid media. We have developed specialist expertise in the third sector, FMCG, technology, and nascent brands. Since 1978, we have been the media agency that backs the underdog.

The financial year ended 31 December 2025 has been a period of strong commercial growth. The business has delivered a material increase in billings and profitability. Turnover continues to grow, increasing by 15% year on year and net profit increasing by 26% year on year.

Maintaining strong client relationships remains central to our continued success. We are committed to delivering the highest standard of service, ensuring that our advice is strategic, transparent, and tailored to each client’s objectives. By maintaining close communication, proactively identifying opportunities, and responding quickly to changing market conditions, we aim to consistently exceed expectations. Our focus is not only on delivering effective campaigns, but on building long-term partnerships based on trust, performance, and a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses.

We continue to operate as an independent agency focusing on retaining key talent in a competitive market and maintaining a strong collaborative culture. Investing in new talent remains a key strategic priority for the business, particularly within the evolving media landscape. We are focused on attracting individuals with strong digital, data, and strategic capabilities, ensuring the business continues to adapt to changing client needs and industry innovation. Alongside this, we are committed to identifying and developing future leaders from within JAA. Through targeted training, mentorship, and increased responsibility, we continue strengthen a workforce of high-performing individuals who can drive the business forward, strengthen client relationships, and uphold our culture of independence, collaboration, and excellence.

A key strategic milestone in 2025 was the decision to relocate from Soho Square, where the Company had operated for over 40 years. This move marks a significant milestone as JAA enters its 48th year of trading and accelerates into its next phase of growth. The new open and flexible space will further fuel creativity, collaboration and innovation. The KODAK building reflects our ethos of continuous growth and trusted experience—blending heritage with modernity. It’s a space that truly matches the energy, talent and ambition defining the agency today and into the future.

The company recognises that there are several areas of risk including market, financial, legal, operational, and human resources. The company has outlined the principal risks and uncertainties faced during the year below:

Highly Competitive Market – The market remains highly competitive, with continued pricing pressure, particularly in new business pitches. We are focused on clearly differentiating our offering from both network agencies and other independents by emphasising our strategic expertise, agility, and depth of knowledge. Maintaining relevance through continued investment in skills, insight, and emerging capabilities remains a key priority.

Market Conditions – Clients remain cautiously optimistic amid a challenging macroeconomic environment, shaped by ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, evolving trade dynamics, and sustained pressure from higher interest rates. While inflation has eased, consumer spending remains constrained.

At the same time, rapid advancements in AI are transforming the media landscape, driving changes in search, planning, and performance measurement. Clients are increasingly focused on leveraging these technologies while maintaining control, transparency, and return on investment, resulting in more agile and performance-driven marketing strategies.

Financial Risk – The Company continues to maintain a strong financial position, supported by disciplined working capital management and tight control of administrative costs. The recent office relocation has increased the cost base, driven by a larger footprint, higher rent, and one-off expenditure relating to legal, IT, and AV requirements, as well as temporary dual running costs through to March 2026. While these factors have impacted short-term profitability, they are considered a strategic investment to support long-term growth and operational efficiency.

Employee Risk – The Company recognises that its people are central to its success and continues to prioritise employee wellbeing and retention. During the year, headcount has increased in line with business growth, reinforcing the importance of maintaining a supportive and sustainable working environment. We continue to promote flexible working arrangements, including remote working, to support work-life balance and help mitigate stress and burnout. Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides confidential counselling and support services for both personal and work-related matters, supplemented where appropriate by bespoke support for individuals.

Cyber Security – Cyber security remains a critical priority for the business, given its direct impact on operational resilience, reputation, and client trust. As part of the recent office relocation, the Company has made a significant investment in IT infrastructure, strengthening its overall security framework and systems capability. We continue to enhance our approach through robust internal policies and ongoing system monitoring. Ongoing investment in cyber security measures will remain a key focus, enabling the Company to navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape while supporting sustainable growth in a digitally connected environment.

In the opinions of the directors there are no key performance indicators whose disclosure is necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of the group.

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 8.

No ordinary dividends were paid in the year (2024: £nil). The directors do not recommend payment of a dividend.

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

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.

The company has chosen in accordance with Companies Act 2006, s. 414C(11) to set out in the company's strategic report information required by Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, Sch. 7 to be contained in the directors' report.

So far as each person who was a director at the date of approving this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditor is unaware. Additionally, the directors individually have taken all the necessary steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditor is aware of that information.

We have audited the financial statements of John Ayling and Associates Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 December 2025 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the statement of financial position, 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).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 December 2025 and of its profit for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our 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. However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this statement is not a guarantee as to the company's ability to continue as a going concern.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

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.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

As explained more fully in the directors' responsibilities statement, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both those charged with governance of the entity and management.

The extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities including fraud.

Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:

• the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

• we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the company through discussions with directors and other management;

• we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company, including the Companies Act 2006 and Health and Safety legislation.

• we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal expenses; and

• identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.

We assessed the susceptibility of the company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

• understanding the business model as part of the control and business environment;

• making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and

• considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

• performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

• tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;

• assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and

• investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

• agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;

• enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and

• review IPA accreditation requirements.

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment by for example, forgery, or intentional misrepresentation or through collusion. Our audit procedures are designed to detect material misstatements. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance or fraud and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

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.

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.

The income statement has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions relating to medium-sized companies.

John Ayling and Associates Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 2 Leman Street, London, United Kingdom, E1W 9US.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

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 £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

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 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’: Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;

• Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.

The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of John Ayling Group Ltd. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office 2 Leman Street, London, E1W 9US.

Atruet the time of approving the financial statements, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Turnover is the amount derived from the provision of services falling within the ordinary activities of the company, stated after trade discounts, other sales taxes and net of VAT. All turnover relates to services provided in the UK.

Turnover is recognised to the extent that it is probably that the economic benefits will flow to the entity and the turnover can be reliably measured. Turnover from a contract to provide services is recognised in the period in which the services are provided in accordance with the state of completion of the contract

Research expenditure is written off against profits in the year in which it is incurred. Identifiable development expenditure is capitalised to the extent that the technical, commercial and financial feasibility can be demonstrated.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

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.

Interests in subsidiaries are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. The investments are assessed for impairment at each reporting date and any impairment losses or reversals of impairment losses are recognised immediately in profit or loss.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the company. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.

At each reporting period end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the company's statement of financial position when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

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 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, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.

Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.

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, loans from fellow group companies 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.

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.

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.

The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the income statement because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting end date.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leases asset are consumed.

Transactions in currencies other than pounds sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates of the transactions. At each reporting end date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the reporting end date. Gains and losses arising on translation in the period are included in profit or loss.

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.

There are no such judgments or uncertainties which are material to the accounts.

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

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 Security held by HSBC:

Debenture including Fixed Charge over all present freehold and leasehold property. First Fixed Charge over book and other debts, chattels, goodwill and uncalled capital, both present and future, and First Floating Charge over all assets and undertaking both present and future dated 13 March 2023 as described in Note 13.

Unlimited Multilateral Guarantee dated 21 April 2023 given by John Ayling Group Limited, John Ayling and Associates Limited.

HSBC Bank hold a fixed and floating charge over the company assets as security.

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.

Each class of shares have attached to them full voting, dividend and capital distribution (including on winding up) rights, transfer notice and pre-emption rights on transfer of shares. They do not confer rights of redemption.

The capital redemption reserve records the cost of shares purchased by the Company for cancelled or redeemed in excess of the proceeds of any fresh issue of shares made specifically to end the purchase or redemption. The capital redemption reserve is not distributable.

Profit and loss reserves

Retained earnings represents accumulated comprehensive income for the year and prior periods.

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:

The company entered into a new lease agreement on 12th December 2025 at 6th Floor, 11 Keeley Street, London, WC2B 4BA.

As discussed in the Strategic Report the decision to relocate from Soho Square, where the Company had operated for over 40 year took place in March 2026 when the lease ended.

The ultimate controlling party and controlling entity is John Ayling Group Limited, whose registered office is Aldgate Tower, 2 Leman Street, London, E1W 9US.

Copies of the financial statements for this company and the group can be obtained from Companies House public registry. It is the largest entity in which the results of the company are consolidated.