131-year-old Merseyside-based family furniture retailer Stokers sees annual pre-tax profits rise almost 20% to £5m, triggering a £2.5m payout to its two shareholders. Tony McDonough reports
Two shareholders of family furniture retailer Stokers share £2.5m in dividends as pre-tax profits rise almost 20% and sales pass £61m.
Stokers, which was founded in Ormskirk by Alfred Stoker in 1895 and sold fabric and millinery, now sells furniture across 10 retail outlets, with the stores in Southport, Ormskirk and Chester trading under the Stokers name. Its head office is in Southport.
It remains in the Stoker family with the majority shareholder being Jonathan Stoker, who holds more than 50% of the shares and is also the managing. director. The remainder are owned by fellow director Steven Schofield.
In its latest accounts for the 12 months to April 30, 2026, posted on Companies House, Stokers has seen sales rise from £59.4m to £61.3m. Pre-tax profits are up almost 20% to £5m. This has triggered the £2.5m dividends payout, identical to the previous year.
Writing in the annual report, Jonathan said Stokers, which employs more than 240 people, has a primary objective of being “the best independent furniture business in the country by providing quality products at the very best price”.
“Our buyers are some of the leading figures in the industry, selecting the best products for around the globe and, with our purchasing power, excellent value for money is always achieved,” he added.
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Jonathan said the latest results had been achieved in a “very challenging retail market”. He revealed the company had a “very strong balance sheet” with net assets of more than £22m (up from £21.4m).
“The directors are confident that the company can maintain its expansion plans and at the same time whether any storms the UK economy may endure,” he added.