Paul: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Paul U.K. Limited has no person with significant control recorded on the Companies House register. In the year to December 2024 it reported turnover of £34m.
- In the year to December 2024, Paul had turnover of £34m, down 5.2% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £0.4m, losing £1.23 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 527 people, with staff costs of £13m.
- These figures are from Paul U.K. Limited's accounts for the year to December 2024, filed at Companies House on 29 September 2025.
- Registered name
- PAUL U.K. LIMITED
- Company number
- 03839415
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 10 September 1999
- Registered office area
- South West London
- Industry code on the register
- 10710: Manufacture of food products
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2024, filed 29 September 2025
What does Paul do?
Paul UK runs the British branches of Paul, the French bakery and café chain, selling bread, pastries, cakes, sandwiches and coffee. Paul was founded in 1889 in Croix, northern France. In the UK it runs its own bakery-cafés, quick-service Paul Express shops in travel hubs, and Le Restaurant de Paul sites. Its breads and cakes follow French family recipes.
In brief: French bakery-café chain · bread, pastries and coffee · own shops · UK arm
Source: Paul's own website, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Who owns Paul?
Paul U.K. Limited, company number 03839415, has no person with significant control recorded on the register. The full record is linked below.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Paul?
The Companies House register lists 2 current officers for Paul U.K. Limited.
All 2 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Reed Smith Corporate Services Limited | 9 October 2002 |
| Maxime Holder | 15 March 2010 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Paul file?
Paul U.K. Limited reported turnover of £34m in the year to December 2024. That was down 5.2% on £36m the year before.
It reported 527 employees. The year before it reported 571.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £0.4m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £0.9m the year before.
Staff costs came to £13m. That is an average of £24,000 a head. It ended the year with £0.8m at the bank and net liabilities of £0.8m.
| Measure | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £34m | £36m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£0.4m (filed) | -£0.9m (filed) |
| Employees | 527 | 571 |
| Staff costs | £13m | £13m |
| Average staff cost per head | £24,000 | £23,000 |
| Bank and cash | £0.8m | £1.8m |
| Net assets | -£0.8m | -£0.3m |
| Interest paid | £79k |
Read the accounts to December 2024 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Paul?
Paul U.K. Limited has registered 26 charges at Companies House, of which 10 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 10 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Kingsway Lif Holdings Limited | 28 June 2012 |
| Fortis Bank, UK Branch | 13 February 2012 |
| Great Capital Partnership (G.P.) Limited and Great Capital Property Limited | 2 March 2011 |
| Great Capital Partnership (G.P.) Limited and Great Capital Property Limited | 2 March 2011 |
| Peter John Newman and William John Pocock | 19 October 2010 |
| Mars Pension Trustees Limited | 11 April 2009 |
| The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London | 9 March 2007 |
| Cabot Place Limited | 9 November 2006 |
| The Crown Estate Commissioners | 17 March 2006 |
| Lionbrook Nominee (1/9 Bow Lane) No.1 Limited and Lionbrook (1/9 Bow Lane) No.2 Limited | 24 February 2006 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Paul compares
Of the 6 high street bakeries, Paul is 5th on turnover, 4th on profit margin and 5th on growth. Gail's keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £13.41.
| Rank | High street bakeries | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Greggs | £2,151m | £7.78 |
| 5th | Paul | £34m | −£1.23 |
| + 4 more high street bakeries ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Paul files as Paul U.K. Limited, with turnover of £34m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Paul
What does Paul do?
Paul UK runs the British branches of Paul, the French bakery and café chain, selling bread, pastries, cakes, sandwiches and coffee. Paul was founded in 1889 in Croix, northern France. In the UK it runs its own bakery-cafés, quick-service Paul Express shops in travel hubs, and Le Restaurant de Paul sites. Its breads and cakes follow French family recipes.
How does Paul compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Paul is 5th of the 6 companies in our battle of the high street bakeries, behind Greggs. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the high street bakeries →
Who owns Paul?
Paul U.K. Limited has no person with significant control recorded at Companies House.
How much does Paul make?
Paul U.K. Limited reported turnover of £34m in the year to December 2024. It filed a pre-tax loss of £0.4m.
How many people work at Paul?
Paul U.K. Limited reported 527 employees in the year to December 2024.
Who runs Paul?
The Companies House register lists 2 current officers for Paul U.K. Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Paul U.K. Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 03839415, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Paul: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/paul/. Figures from Companies House filings for PAUL U.K. LIMITED (03839415).
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