ORCHID CELLMARK LTD
Company number 04045527 · Monitor this company
Executive summary
Orchid Cellmark Ltd possesses valuable forensic science capabilities and stable revenue generation of approximately £33M, underpinned by deep expertise and long-standing police force relationships. However, the company faces a critical strategic challenge: shareholders' funds have deteriorated to (£9.4M), rendering the business technically insolvent and entirely dependent on Eurofins Scientific parent company support. Without urgent balance sheet restructuring, revenue diversification beyond government contracts, and resolution of the complex ownership structure, Cellmark's strategic position—despite its operational strengths—remains fundamentally precarious.
Shareholders' funds
-£9,366
Balance sheet as at 2024-12-31
What it does
The principal activity of the company is The company
The company's own description, from its latest filed accounts.
Overview
- Company type
- Private Limited Company
- Incorporated
- 2000-07-28
- Employees
- 542 (2024 accounts · was 554 in 2023)
- Registered office
- Unit G1 Valiant Way, I54 Business Park, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom, WV9 5GB
- Postcode
- WV9 5GB
- Capital
- 14 GBP
- Accounts category
- Full
- Charges
- 4 outstanding
Accounts
- Last made up to
- 2025-12-31
- Next due by
- 2027-09-30
- Financial year end
- 31 December
Confirmation statement
- Last statement dated
- 2026-07-28
- Next due by
- 2027-08-11
Nature of business (SIC)
- 71200 Technical testing and analysis
Officers 3 current · 29 resigned
Group structure 1 subsidiary
Controlled by Eurofins Scientific S.E. (B167775) — since 2025-04-16
Controlled by DNACO LIMITED — since 2018-08-07
From persons-with-significant-control filings on the public register.
Public contracts won 8
£126,666,238 total awarded value where published.
Showing the 5 most recent of 8.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Contracts Finder).
Data protection registration
Registered with the ICO as a data protection fee payer — Z8559216 (Tier 2), registered since 2004.
Information Commissioner's Office register of fee payers, licensed under the Open Government Licence.
Gender pay gap
20.96%
Women's median hourly pay below men's, 2025/26 · in the bottom quarter for parity
Contact details
- Website
- orchidcellmark.co.uk
- Phone
- 01235528609
Established in 1987, Cellmark has three decades‘ experience of providing police forces with high quality, specialist forensic science services.
Previous company names
| Name | Date changed |
|---|---|
| ORCHID BIOSCIENCES EUROPE LIMITED | 2005-11-03 |
Previous registered addresses 2
| Address | Changed on |
|---|---|
| 22 BLACKLANDS WAY, ABINGDON BUSINESS PARK, OXFORDSHIRE OX14 1DY | 2005-12-15 |
| JOHN ECCLES HOUSE, ROBERT ROBINSON AVENUE, OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE OX4 4GP | 2001-02-23 |
Among its peers
The largest employer
of 14 similar companies in WV, with 542 staff. 3rd oldest of its local peers.
Competitors Wolverhampton
-
1. NANT LIMITED
-
3. QUALTEST LTD
This company ranks 14 among technical testing and analysis in Wolverhampton.
The class of 2000
41%
of the 75,534 companies incorporated in 2000 are still active today; 56% have since been dissolved.
A fact about the year, not a forecast for this company.
Property in England & Wales 15 titles
- Leasehold
- 15
- Most recent registration
- 2025-01-09
- Where
- Oxfordshire (10), Lancashire (3), Cambridgeshire (1)
| Title number | County | Tenure | Registered | Price paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ON391415 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2025-01-09 | — |
| ON391416 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2025-01-09 | — |
| ON391417 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2025-01-09 | — |
| ON391418 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2025-01-09 | — |
| ON373295 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2022-06-01 | — |
| CB470444 | Cambridgeshire | Leasehold | 2022-05-30 | — |
| LAN216511 | Lancashire | Leasehold | 2019-02-06 | — |
| LAN216514 | Lancashire | Leasehold | 2019-02-06 | — |
| LAN216516 | Lancashire | Leasehold | 2019-02-06 | — |
| DU353020 | County Durham | Leasehold | 2015-10-09 | — |
| ON308789 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2013-08-20 | — |
| ON308791 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2013-08-20 | — |
| ON308792 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2013-08-20 | — |
| ON308793 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2013-08-20 | — |
| ON308794 | Oxfordshire | Leasehold | 2013-08-20 | — |
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.