POPULOUS LIMITED

Active
Company number 02133361Private limited companyIncorporated 1987

Key figures

£21,885,279+103.4%
Net assets 2024
+103.4%
Average annual growth 2023–2024
010 m20 m30 m20232024

† POPULOUS LIMITED filed these accounts on paper, so Companies House publishes them only as a scanned image. The figures for the years marked † were read automatically from the scan and kept only where the statements add up (for example net assets equal total equity), but a reading error is still possible — check the original accounts at Companies House.

Ratios

2024

Sector comparison

SIC 71111

Where the company stands among the 17,181 active companies whose first SIC code is 71111 (Architectural activities).

Turnover£163,604,703
Higher than 99% · median £71,965 among 221 that publish turnover
Net assets£21,885,279
Higher than 99% · median £9,390
Total assets£95,630,152
Higher than 99% · median £36,361
Cash£34,492,946
Higher than 99% · median £21,363
Employees436
Higher than 99% · median 1
Company age39.5 years
Older than 99% · median 9.6 years
Largest in this sector by net assets
  1. WORLEY EUROPE LTD£221.5m
  2. FOSTER + PARTNERS LIMITED£135.5m
  3. ZHA ARCHITECTS LIMITED£42.9m
  4. HEATHERWICK STUDIO LIMITED£39.8m
  5. DAR AL-HANDASAH (UK) LIMITED£33.1m
  6. POPULOUS LIMITED£21.9m
  7. LIBERATION BUILD LIMITED£21.8m
  8. BUILDING DESIGN PARTNERSHIP LIMITED£20.9m
  9. UMC HOLDINGS LIMITED£18.4m
  10. GENSLER EUROPE, LTD£17.8m

Positions are approximate. Figures come from each company's latest accounts; money and employee figures are compared only with companies that filed accounts in pounds for a period ending in the last two and a half years and are not dormant, so those groups are smaller than 17,181. The line on each bar marks the median.

Summary: POPULOUS LIMITED

What kind of company is it?

POPULOUS LIMITED is a private limited company registered with Companies House under company number 02133361. It was incorporated on 20 May 1987. Its status is active. The registered office is in London (SW15). Its nature of business (SIC 2007) is architectural activities (71111).

How is the company doing financially?

The latest accounts in the database are for 2024 (period ending 31 Dec 2024); the company files group accounts. Turnover was £163,604,703. Profit for the year was £15,027,233. Net assets were £21,885,279, up 103.4% on the previous year. Cash at bank and in hand was £34,492,946. The company had an average of 436 employees. Figures are available for 2 financial years (2023–2024).

How does it compare with similar companies?

Compared with 17,181 active companies whose first SIC code is 71111: By turnover it ranks higher than 99% of the 221 that publish turnover (median £71,965). By net assets it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £9,390). By total assets it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £36,361). By cash it ranks higher than 99% of them (median £21,363). By number of employees it ranks higher than 99% of them (median 1). It is older than 99% of them (median age 9.6 years).

Does it supply the public sector?

The company is named as the supplier in one public contract award notice, from London Stadium 185.

What do public registers and reports show?

It appears on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors (Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker, Skilled Worker). HMRC lists it as an importer of goods, mainly machinery. HMRC lists it as an exporter of goods, mainly rubber, electrical equipment. Its gender pay gap report for 2025/26 shows median hourly pay for women 12% lower than for men.

Who runs and controls the company?

1 of 8 registered charges are outstanding.

When are its next filings due?

The next accounts are due by 31 Dec 2026. The next confirmation statement is due by 26 Oct 2027.

Filed accounts2023–2024
2023 †2024 †
Turnover134,948,257163,604,703
Profit for the year8,699,24615,027,233
Cash at bank and in hand18,160,43734,492,946
Total assets79,502,12995,630,152
Total liabilities——
Net assets / total equity10,757,46021,885,279
Average number of employees288436

A dash (—) means no accounts were filed for that year or the item is not in the accounts; 0 is a zero stated in the accounts. Small companies usually file only a balance sheet, so the profit and loss account is often missing.

Public contracts

1 contract

POPULOUS LIMITED is named as a supplier in 1 public contract award notice from London Stadium 185.

Contract
  1. Stadium Island Wider Development Opportunity LS086 - Architect Led Design TeamLondon Stadium 185 · runs until Aug 2027

From contract award notices on Contracts Finder (since 2016) and Find a Tender (since 2021), published by the Cabinet Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Values are as published by the buyer and usually cover the whole contract term; the total leaves out awards shared between several suppliers, where the published figure is a ceiling for all of them, placeholder values and single figures of £1 billion or more. Contracts below the publication thresholds and those of devolved buyers that publish elsewhere are not included.

Statutory reporting

Gender pay gap2025/26
Median hourly pay
women 12% lower
Mean hourly pay
women 23% lower
Median bonus pay
women 48% lower
Employer size
250 to 499 employees
Lower pay quarter53% womenLower middle53% womenUpper middle45% womenUpper pay quarter30% women
Earlier years (1)
Year
Median hourly pay
Mean hourly pay
2024/25
women 15.1% lower
women 20.5% lower

A positive gap means women's average hourly pay is lower than men's across the whole employer; it is not a comparison of pay for the same work. View on the Gender pay gap service

Figures the company reported itself to the government's Check payment practices service, Gender pay gap service and Modern slavery statement registry (Open Government Licence v3.0). Only large companies and employers with 250 or more staff have to report, so most companies have nothing here.

Registers and licences

Sponsor licence‡
Licence type and rating
Worker (A rating)
Routes
Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker, Skilled Worker

On the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, which lists organisations licensed to sponsor workers from overseas.

International trade‡

Listed by HMRC as an importer of goods in 1 of the last 12 months on record, most recently October 2025. Main goods: machinery.

Listed by HMRC as an exporter of goods in 2 of the last 12 months on record, most recently June 2026. Main goods: rubber and electrical equipment.

From HMRC's monthly lists of importers and exporters. Traders can ask to be left off the lists, so absence does not mean a company does not trade.

Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Care Quality Commission, Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Entries marked ‡ come from lists that do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name.

History

4 events
  1. Financial year 2024 endedAccounts: turnover £163.6m, net assets £21.9m, 436 employees
  2. Financial year 2023 endedAccounts: turnover £134.9m, net assets £10.8m, 288 employees
  3. Name changed to POPULOUS LIMITEDPreviously HOK SPORT LIMITED
  4. Company incorporatedPrivate limited company

Dates as recorded at Companies House: incorporation, name changes, officer appointments and resignations, current persons with significant control, and the end of each financial year with figures in the database. Former persons with significant control are not listed.