227-year old Liverpool jewellery brand Boodles delivers oodles of cash to family owners despite pre-tax profits falling more than £3m to £14.7m and hints at major expansion. Tony McDonough reports
Family owners of the famous Boodles jewellery brand will share almost £8m in dividends despite the 227-year old business reporting a fall in pre-tax profits.
Boodles, which was founded by the Wainwright family in Liverpool in 1798, has posted its annual accounts on Companies House covering the 12 months to February 28, 2025. They reveal a 19% surge in sales to £124.5m.
However, pre-tax profits fell from just over £18m last year to £14.7m. Despite this, the company has paid out more than £8m in dividends to shareholders in the Wainwright and Amos families.
Boodles was established by the Wainwright family as H Wainwright & Sons. In 1910 the family acquired another jewellers, Boodle and Dunthorne, and retained the name. Still officially called Boodle and Dunthorne, the business trades as Boodles.
It operates 10 retail outlets including its flagship store on the corner of North John Street and Lord Street in Liverpool, five in London, including stores on Bond Street, inside Harrods and the Savoy, as well as shops in Chester, Manchester, Leeds and Dublin, employing more than 130 people.
Boodles designs and creates all of its own jewellery, sourcing stones both directly from the mine or from the major gem centres of the world such as Antwerp, New York, and Bangkok
Companies House lists Michael Wainwright, Jonathan Wainwright and Nicholas Wainwright as “persons with significant control”. They are the sixth generation of the Wainwright family to run the firm.
On March 1 2024, Jody Wainwright and James Amos were named as joint managing directors of Boodles with Michael Wainwright becoming chairman and Nicholas Wainwright president.
In the annual report the directors revealed details of a strong balance sheet. Shareholders’ fund not total £100.8m, up from £98.5m last year. It also has a “strong liquidity position” with around £18m in the bank at the time of writing.
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They added: “Trading for the year to February 28, 2026, has been encouragingly strong, showing significant increase in review and net profit year to date.
“Investment in stock has again risen significantly with more investment being made in the purchase of important and high value white and fancy coloured diamonds.
“The directors wished to preserve a healthy cash balance, allowing for the spontaneous purchase of important gemstones, while also preparing for some impending – and not insignificant – expansion plans on Bond Street.”