James Latham AIM:LTHM
- Founded
- 1757 · Hemel Hempstead, England
- Incorporated
- United Kingdom
- Chief executive
- Andrew Wright
- Employees
- 588
- Reports in
- GBP
- Companies House
- 00065619
Independent distributor of timber, panels and decorative surfaces, importing and supplying hardwoods, softwoods, engineered panels and laminates to joinery, shopfitting and construction customers from depots across the UK and Ireland. Trading since 1757 and still associated with the founding family.
Read straight from the annual reports
1,090p at close on 2 Oct 2026 · 12 reported years, 2015–2026
| Line | FY201503/15 | FY201603/16 | FY201703/17 | FY201803/18 | FY201903/19 | FY202003/20 | FY202103/21 | FY202203/22 | FY202303/23 | FY202403/24 | FY202503/25 | FY202603/26 | FY2027unreported |
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| Gross profit | vs 34.5 | ||||||||||||
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| Adjusted EPS | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| Dividend per share |
GBP millions, negatives in brackets. Per-share lines in pence, share counts in millions. later is what a following report restated the figure to; vs is a second reading that disagrees. The figure shown is the one the original filing printed, and both readings are kept. Click any figure: opens the report page it was read from, highlighted; shows how it was calculated. The share price above is drawn to the same columns: each close sits over the financial year it fell in.
12 years, at a glance
Dashed: Operating margin, in % on its own scale — read its shape, not its height against the bars.
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Volume growth in panel and timber products, like-for-like volumes up 2.2%
Volume +2.2% (2024: -0.2%) per Revenue Growth Analysis
page 31Product mix shift to lower-value/cheaper alternative products reducing average price per m3
Product Mix -7.3% (2024: -6.6%); customers moving to cheaper, more cost effective products
page 4Product mix shift to cheaper/commodity products and more competitive market environment
Gross profit % reduced to 16.8% (2024: 16.9%) with product mix and competitive environment cited as causes
page 2A competitor's administration causing short-term margin pressure as it liquidated stock
A significant competitor went into administration in H2, causing short term pressure on margins in some product groups as they quickly turned stock into cash
page 2£2.5m charge: One-off pension past service cost from reversing the 2009 cap on pensionable salary increases (restoring pensionable pay to gross salary for active DB members)
page 32The gradual trend to improved market conditions seen in the final quarter of FY25 has continued into the new financial year, with a slight improvement in trading margin and trading volumes; no price weakness seen in the product portfolio, and manufacturers face cost pressures that should lead to price inflation over the coming year.
page 5No significant events have occurred since the balance sheet date (Directors' Report)
page 45Total dividend per ordinary share 35.25p for FY25 (2024: 33.75p, excluding a 45p special dividend paid in FY24), covered 2.6 times by earnings (2024: 3.3 times). Final dividend of 27.3p proposed (2024: 71.0p including special element in that year's final payment... actually 2024 ordinary final was 26.0p per Chairman's statement), payable 22 August 2025 to shareholders on register 1 August 2025, ex-div 31 July 2025.
page 1Unqualified ('true and fair') audit opinion from RSM UK Audit LLP (Senior Statutory Auditor William Farren FCA), 9 July 2025. Sole key audit matter (group): inventory provision valuation; no KAMs for parent company. Group materiality £1,100,000 (4.5% of PBT); audit coverage 97% of revenue, 96% of total assets, 100% of PBT. Directors confirm going concern basis is appropriate based on cash flow forecasts/revenue projections to 31 July 2026, sensitivity analysis, available facilities and principal risks; auditor identified no material uncertainty over going concern.
page 49- Market and macroeconomic conditions — UK/Irish economic slowdown, rising tax burden and tariff-driven cost increases affecting customer purchasing (Status: Medium, Direction: Unchanged)p.24
- Competition from new and existing businesses reducing prices, margins and profitability (Status: Low, Direction: Unchanged)p.25
- Inventory levels moving out of line with sales requirements and market prices (Status: Medium, Direction: Unchanged)p.25
- Supply chain disruption resulting in shortages of product, given reliance on imports and less stable producer countries (Status: Medium, Direction: Reduced)p.25
Read from C000761-AR-2026-ch.
11 annual reports read, FY2016 to FY2026
Open a year to see what its report said. Every line in it carries the page it was read from.
Sources: Companies House (11)
FY2027Next report expected 16 Jul 2027