Showcase: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is David Ferris Ellison. In the year to January 2026 Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited reported turnover of £88m.
- In the year to January 2026, Showcase had turnover of £88m, down 1.9% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £5m, losing £5.80 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 947 people, with staff costs of £18m.
- These figures are from Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited's accounts for the year to January 2026, filed at Companies House on 26 October 2026.
- Registered name
- HARBOR LIGHTS ENTERTAINMENT (UK) LIMITED
- Company number
- 02141131
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 18 June 1987
- Registered office area
- Nottingham
- Industry code on the register
- 59140: Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to January 2026, filed 26 October 2026
What does Showcase do?
Showcase runs cinemas in the UK, selling tickets to new-release films alongside food and drink. Its venues trade as Showcase and Showcase Cinema de Lux, and it offers the XPlus large-screen format as well as event cinema, family screenings and baby-friendly showings. Customers book tickets online or at the venue, and a free loyalty scheme, Showcase Insider, gives members extra benefits.
In brief: cinema chain · film tickets and food and drink · Showcase Cinema de Lux · XPlus screens
Source: Showcase's own website, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Who owns Showcase?
The Companies House register records David Ferris Ellison as the person with significant control of Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited, company number 02141131.
The register names an individual, not a company, as its controller.
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 Showcase?
The Companies House register lists 4 current officers for Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited.
All 4 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Lisa Marie Martignetti | 20 April 2016 |
| Edward Ryan | 7 August 2025 |
| Julie Brennan Heinzelman | 7 August 2025 |
| Reed Smith Corporate Services Limited | 4 June 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Showcase file?
Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited reported turnover of £88m in the year to January 2026. That was down 1.9% on £90m the year before.
It reported 947 employees. The year before it reported 1,161.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £5m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £1.9m the year before.
Staff costs came to £18m. That is an average of £19,000 a head. It ended the year with £6m at the bank and net liabilities of £75m.
| Measure | Jan 2026 | Jan 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £88m | £90m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£5m (filed) | -£1.9m (filed) |
| Employees | 947 | 1,161 |
| Staff costs | £18m | £18m |
| Average staff cost per head | £19,000 | £15,000 |
| Bank and cash | £6m | £10m |
| Net assets | -£75m | -£70m |
| Interest received | £0.1m |
Read the accounts to January 2026 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
How Showcase compares
Of the 6 cinema chains, Showcase is 5th on turnover, 2nd on profit margin and 5th on growth. Vue keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £12.32.
| Rank | Cinema chains | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Vue | £313m | £12.32 |
| 5th | Showcase | £88m | −£5.80 |
| + 4 more cinema chains ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Showcase files as Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited, whose person with significant control is David Ferris Ellison, with turnover of £88m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Showcase
What does Showcase do?
Showcase runs cinemas in the UK, selling tickets to new-release films alongside food and drink. Its venues trade as Showcase and Showcase Cinema de Lux, and it offers the XPlus large-screen format as well as event cinema, family screenings and baby-friendly showings. Customers book tickets online or at the venue, and a free loyalty scheme, Showcase Insider, gives members extra benefits.
How does Showcase compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Showcase is 5th of the 6 companies in our battle of the cinema chains, behind Vue. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the cinema chains →
Who owns Showcase?
The Companies House register records David Ferris Ellison as the person with significant control of Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited.
How much does Showcase make?
Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited reported turnover of £88m in the year to January 2026. It filed a pre-tax loss of £5m.
How many people work at Showcase?
Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited reported 947 employees in the year to January 2026.
Who runs Showcase?
The Companies House register lists 4 current officers for Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Harbor Lights Entertainment (UK) Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 02141131, 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, “Showcase: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/showcase/. Figures from Companies House filings for HARBOR LIGHTS ENTERTAINMENT (UK) LIMITED (02141131).
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