River Island: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
River Island Clothing Co. Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is River Island Holdings Limited. In the year to December 2025 River Island Clothing Co. Limited reported turnover of £478m.
- In the year to December 2025, River Island had turnover of £478m, down 10.9% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £21m, keeping £4.29 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 2,022 people, with staff costs of £104m.
- River Island Clothing Co. Limited is controlled by River Island Holdings Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from River Island Clothing Co. Limited's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 19 June 2026.
- Registered name
- RIVER ISLAND CLOTHING CO. LIMITED
- Company number
- 00636095
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 31 August 1959
- Registered office area
- West London
- Industry code on the register
- 47710: Retail trade
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 19 June 2026
What does River Island do?
River Island is a high street fashion retailer selling womenswear, menswear, kidswear, shoes and accessories through its shops and its website. The business goes back to 1948, when it started as a fruit and vegetable business, and the River Island name dates from 1988. It earns its money from selling its own-label clothing in store and online, and it is privately owned by the family that founded it; these figures are for River Island Clothing Co. Limited, which is owned by River Island Holdings Limited.
In brief: high street fashion retailer · own-label clothing in store and online · business dates from 1948 · family owned
Source: River Island's own website, retrieved 9 November 2026.
Who owns River Island?
The Companies House register records River Island Holdings Limited as the person with significant control of River Island Clothing Co. Limited, company number 00636095. River Island Holdings Limited is itself company number 09337472.
That places River Island Clothing Co. Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
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 River Island?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for River Island Clothing Co. Limited.
All 5 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Cavendish Square Secretariat | |
| Clive Robert Lewis | 16 December 1996 |
| Vanessa Jane Lewis | 3 December 2001 |
| Benjamin Joseph Lewis | 20 April 2006 |
| Kirsty Rowena Homer | 1 July 2024 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did River Island file?
River Island Clothing Co. Limited reported turnover of £478m in the year to December 2025. That was down 10.9% on £537m the year before.
It reported 2,022 employees. The year before it reported 2,277.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £21m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £64m the year before.
Staff costs came to £104m. That is an average of £52,000 a head. It ended the year with £43m at the bank and net assets of £79m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £478m | £537m |
| Pre-tax profit | £21m (filed) | -£64m (filed) |
| Employees | 2,022 | 2,277 |
| Staff costs | £104m | £115m |
| Average staff cost per head | £52,000 | £50,000 |
| Bank and cash | £43m | £42m |
| Net assets | £79m | £57m |
| Interest paid | £1.0m | |
| Interest received | £1.1m | |
| Directors' pay | £3m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (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 River Island?
River Island Clothing Co. Limited has registered 6 charges at Companies House, of which 4 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 4 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Barclays Bank PLC | 8 June 2026 |
| Blue Coast Finance Limited | 20 August 2025 |
| Blue Coast Finance Limited | 28 March 2024 |
| Blue Coast Finance Limited | 13 January 2021 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How River Island compares
Of the 9 high street fashion, River Island is 9th on turnover, 5th on profit margin and 8th on growth. Next keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £17.28.
| Rank | High street fashion | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Next | £6,901m | £17.28 |
| 9th | River Island | £478m | £4.29 |
| + 7 more high street fashion ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
River Island files as River Island Clothing Co. Limited, whose person with significant control is River Island Holdings Limited, with turnover of £478m in its latest filed year.
Questions about River Island
What does River Island do?
River Island is a high street fashion retailer selling womenswear, menswear, kidswear, shoes and accessories through its shops and its website. The business goes back to 1948, when it started as a fruit and vegetable business, and the River Island name dates from 1988. It earns its money from selling its own-label clothing in store and online, and it is privately owned by the family that founded it; these figures are for River Island Clothing Co. Limited, which is owned by River Island Holdings Limited.
Is River Island bigger than New Look?
No, by turnover. River Island reported £478m in its latest accounts, against £688m at New Look. Our River Island v New Look page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. River Island v New Look →
How does River Island compare with its rivals?
By turnover, River Island is 9th of the 9 companies in our battle of high street fashion, behind Next. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of high street fashion →
Who owns River Island?
The Companies House register records River Island Holdings Limited as the person with significant control of River Island Clothing Co. Limited.
How much does River Island make?
River Island Clothing Co. Limited reported turnover of £478m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £21m.
How many people work at River Island?
River Island Clothing Co. Limited reported 2,022 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs River Island?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for River Island Clothing Co. Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from River Island Clothing Co. Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 00636095, 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, “River Island: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/river-island/. Figures from Companies House filings for RIVER ISLAND CLOTHING CO. LIMITED (00636095).
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