Annual turnover at Swindon-based construction company Beard has climbed by 17% to £68.7m as it continues to buck the downward trend in the recession-hit building sector. Beard’s pre-tax profits were also up – by 11% to £1.2m.
The privately-owned business, which also has offices in Oxford and Guildford, benefited from its strength in specialist sectors such as education and defence – school-related and MoD projects helped lift revenues at its Swindon office by 18% during the year.
Recent projects in Swindon have included the new car dealership for Fish Brothers, work for a major medical products manufacturer and the installation of biomass boilers at a number of Wiltshire schools.
Managing director Mark Beard said: “We continue to focus on the expertise of our teams, the efficiency of our systems and above all, prompt and faultless delivery to meet our customers’ needs. As a result we have seen an expansion of the healthcare and commercial sectors and continued involvement in high profile projects within education and the ecclesiastical sector.
“I am particularly pleased that 2012 also saw a significant increase in our net assets by £400,000 to £5.2m with cash funds up £900,000 to £7.3m. This represents a further strengthening of our underlying finances, reinforcing our position as a solid, reliable partner within the construction industry. And more good news is that secured orders of £37m for the coming year show a 9% increase on this time last year.”
Beard also increased its workforce by an average of 10% over the year and more than doubled its training provision, providing nearly 400 days of industry-based courses and personal development training.
Beard’s growth has been in marked contrast to the UK construction as a whole which suffered a 7/9% slump last year.
* ‘How we’re beating the building slump’. Exclusive interview with Mark Beard in this month’s Swindon Business News. Out soon.
