FRANK SMYTHSON LIMITED
Company number 03594597 · Monitor this company
Executive summary
Frank Smythson Limited is a niche heritage luxury brand operating at a scale well below sector leaders, with FY25 revenue of £23.3m representing a 14.6% decline year-on-year — underperforming a sector that saw low-single-digit contractions. While the 71% gross margin is competitive and the +31% retail LFL growth signals improving store productivity following the New Bond Street closure, the business remains loss-making at the EBITDA level (£-4.2m) and carries a deeply insolvent balance sheet (shareholders' funds of £-38.8m) that is only sustainable through parent company support. The recent acquisition by Oakley Capital provides financial runway and strategic direction, but Smythson must address its digital underperformance, achieve operating profitability, and successfully execute international expansion — particularly the promising Japanese market entry — to establish a viable long-term competitive position within the luxury leather goods sector.
Shareholders' funds
-£38,765
Balance sheet as at 2025-03-30
What it does
The principal activity of the company continued to be that of a multi-channel luxury leather goods and stationery retailer.
The company's own description, from its latest filed accounts.
Overview
- Company type
- Private Limited Company
- Incorporated
- 1998-07-08
- Employees
- 148 (2025 accounts · was 171 in 2024)
- Registered office
- 257a Pavilion Road 257a Pavilion Road, London, England, SW1X 0BP
- Postcode
- SW1X 0BP
- Capital
- 10,000 GBP
- Accounts category
- Full
- Charges
- 3 outstanding
Accounts
- Last made up to
- 2025-03-30
- Next due by
- 2026-12-31
- Financial year end
- 31 March
Confirmation statement
- Last statement dated
- 2026-04-10
- Next due by
- 2027-04-24
Nature of business (SIC)
- 47722 Retail sale of leather goods in specialised stores
Officers 4 current · 25 resigned
Group structure 1 subsidiary
Controlled by HOLDSMYTH LIMITED — since 2016-04-06
From persons-with-significant-control filings on the public register.
Licensed visa sponsor
Licensed by the Home Office to sponsor worker visas: Skilled Worker (Worker (A rating)).
Matched by registered name to the register of licensed sponsors (Home Office, updated daily) — check the register itself before relying on it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Data protection registration
Registered with the ICO as a data protection fee payer — ZB978342 (Tier 2), registered since 2025.
Information Commissioner's Office register of fee payers, licensed under the Open Government Licence.
Previous company names
| Name | Date changed |
|---|---|
| MULTISTYLE LIMITED | 1998-12-02 |
Previous registered addresses 5
| Address | Changed on |
|---|---|
| 24-25 NEW BOND STREET 24-25 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, W1S 1RR, ENGLAND | 2017-06-01 |
| 40 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, W1S 2DE | 2017-05-05 |
| 40 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, W1S 2DE | 2005-08-23 |
| 12 GREAT JAMES STREET, LONDON, WC1N 3DR | 2005-08-22 |
| 3RD FLOOR 19 PHIPP STREET, LONDON, EC2A 4NP | 1998-08-11 |
Among its peers
The largest employer
of 10 similar companies in SW, with 148 staff. 2nd oldest of its local peers.
Competitors London
-
1. BAGISTA LTD
This company ranks 11 among retail sale of leather goods in specialised stores in London.
The class of 1998
43%
of the 55,901 companies incorporated in 1998 are still active today; 54% have since been dissolved.
A fact about the year, not a forecast for this company.
Property in England & Wales 6 titles
- Leasehold
- 6
- Most recent registration
- 2021-01-05
- Where
- Swindon (3), Greater London (2), Oxfordshire (1)
| Title number | County | Tenure | Registered | Price paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WT455687 | Swindon | Leasehold | 2021-01-05 | — |
| ON347393 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2019-02-20 | — |
| WT414078 | Swindon | Leasehold | 2015-03-31 | — |
| WT414079 | Swindon | Leasehold | 2015-03-31 | — |
| AGL264061 | Greater London | Leasehold | 2012-08-24 | — |
| AGL264062 | Greater London | Leasehold | 2012-08-24 | — |
For addresses and the authoritative register entry, use HM Land Registry's official search (£3 per title).
Information produced by HM Land Registry. © Crown copyright 2026. Dataset as at 2026-08.