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

The company did not trade during the year. A review of business for the group can be found in the consolidated financial statements of the ultimate parent company.

On behalf of the board

The director presents his report with the financial statements of the company for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The principal activity of the company in the year under review was that of a holding company. The company did not trade during the year.

The principal activity of the subsidiary in the year under review were those of the supply of computer equipment, DSA equipment and services, stationery and office furniture.

Interim dividends totaling £579.35 per share were paid on the Ordinary £1 A shares during the year.

The total distribution of dividends for the year ended 31 March 2025 will be £289,673.

The director who held office during the whole period from 1 April 2024 to the date of this report.

The auditor, DJH Audit Limited, is deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

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; 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.

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.

Information relating to events since the end of the year is given in the notes to the financial statements.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the medium-sized companies exemption.

We have audited the financial statements of The Bennett Group Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the income statement, 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 March 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.

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 director is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information in the Strategic Report and the Report of the Director, but does not include the financial statements and our Report of the Auditors thereon.

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.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 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 and 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; or

• the directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemption in preparing the directors' report.

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.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

As part of our planning process:

• We enquired of management the systems and controls the company has in place, the areas of the financial statements that are mostly susceptible to the risk of irregularities and fraud, and whether there was any known, suspected or alleged fraud.

• We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the company. We determined that the following were most relevant: FRS 102 and Companies Act 2006.

• We considered the incentives and opportunities that exist in the company, including the extent of management bias, which present a potential for irregularities and fraud to be perpetuated, and tailored our risk assessment accordingly.

• Using our knowledge of the company, together with the discussions held with the company at the planning stage, we formed a conclusion on the risk of misstatement due to irregularities including fraud and tailored our procedures according to this risk assessment.

The key procedures we undertook to detect irregularities including fraud during the course of the audit included:

• Identifying and testing journal entries, in particular those that were significant and unusual. - Reviewing the financial statement disclosures and determining whether accounting policies have been appropriately applied.

• Assessing the extent of compliance, or lack of, with the relevant laws and regulations.

• Documenting and verifying all significant related party balances and transactions.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of irregularities and fraud rests with the director.

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.

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

The Bennett Group Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is The Exchange, 5 Bank Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0DN.

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" and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

The company had net assets of £82,921 (2024 - £82,921) at the year-end and the subsidiary has generated significant profits post year-end. The director believes that the group is well placed to manage the business risks at these challenging times and therefore continues to adopt a going concern basis of accounting in preparing these financial statements.

The company has taken advantage of the following disclosure exemptions in preparing these financial statements,

as permitted by FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland":

• the requirements of Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows;

• the requirement of paragraph 33.7.

The financial statements contain information about The Bennett Group Limited as an individual company and do not contain consolidated financial information as the parent of a group. The company is exempt under Section 400 of the Companies Act 2006 from the requirements to prepare consolidated financial statements as it and its subsidiary undertakings are included by full consolidation in the consolidated financial statements of its parent, Antony Bennett Holdings Limited, a company registered in the United Kingdom.

Related party exemption

The company has taken advantage of exemption, under the terms of Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland', not to disclose related party transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries within the group.

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.

Fixed asset investments are included at cost less provision for any permanent diminution in value.

Dividend income is recognised when the right to receive payment is established.

The company only enters into basic financial instrument transactions that result in the recognition of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other accounts receivable and payable, loans from banks and other third parties and loans to and from related parties.

Financial assets that are measured at cost and amortized cost are assessed at the end of each reporting period for objective evidence of impairment. If objective evidence of impairment is found, an impairment loss is recognized in the income statement.

Basic financial liabilities are initially measured at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortized cost, being the transaction price less any amounts settled.

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

Current or deferred 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 statement of financial position date.

Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all timing differences that have originated but not reversed at the statement of financial position date.

Timing differences arise from the inclusion of income and expenses in tax assessments in periods different from those in which they are recognized in financial statements. Deferred tax is measured using tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the year end and that are expected to apply to the reversal of the timing difference.

Unrelieved tax losses and other deferred tax assets are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits.

In the application of the company's accounting policies, the director is required to make estimates and judgements. The estimates are based on historical experience and other relevant factors. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates are continually evaluated. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised.

In the opinion of the directors, there are no estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities.

The company has not generated any operating profit during the year (2024: £nil).

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

Analysis of the tax charge

No liability to UK corporation tax arose for the year ended 31 March 2025 nor for the year ended

31 March 2024.

Reconciliation of total tax charge included in profit and loss

tax assessed for the year is lower than the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK. The difference is explained below:

The company's investments at the Statement of Financial Position date in the share capital of companies include the following:

Barry Bennett Limited

Registered office: United Kingdom

Nature of business: Sale of computer and office equipment

%

Class of shares: holding

Ordinary 100.00

In prior years the company's investments at the statement of financial position date in the share capital of companies include the following:

Evermor Solutions Limited

Registered office: United Kingdom

Nature of business: Education support services

                     %

Class of shares:                 holding

Ordinary                     100.00

This company has since been dissolved.

The following describes the nature and purpose of each reserve within equity:

Retained earnings - All other net gains and losses and transactions with owners not recognized elsewhere.

Capital redemption reserve - This reserve records the nominal value of shares repurchased by the company.

Other reserves - This is a merger reserve. This is the difference between the value of shares issued by the company in exchange for the value of shares acquired in respect of the acquisition of subsidiaries

There is a debenture over the assets of the company and an unlimited inter-company guarantee between Barry Bennett Limited, The Bennett Group Limited and Antony Bennett Holdings Limited

After the balance sheet date, the company declared and paid a dividend of £20,000 on Ordinary shares totalling £10,000,000 This dividend was approved and paid on 15 June 2025.

The company is controlled by the shareholder and director of the ultimate parent company, A Bennett.

The immediate and ultimate parent company is Antony Bennett Holdings Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales, whose registered office address is The Exchange, 5 Bank Street, Bury, BL9 0DN. Copies of the consolidated financial statements can be obtained from Companies House.